


I'm a Doctor, Dammit

by Claireisclaire



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Female Scientist, Smart Is The New Sexy, smart woman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-12
Updated: 2016-08-05
Packaged: 2018-07-23 15:50:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 21,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7469658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Claireisclaire/pseuds/Claireisclaire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dr. Kennedy Garrett gets the chance of a lifetime to work with the Avengers. She is determine that nothing and nobody will distract her...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The Avengers walked away from Sokovia mostly unscathed. Pietro had a few bullet wounds but with his quick healing he was simply sore when they reached the Avengers Tower. Tony had been yelled at by Pepper the whole ride home. The other Avengers listened in, trying hard not to laugh. 

“Pepper, I was trying-”

“I don’t care, Tony. You didn’t even ask me; you didn’t even tell me. Dammit, Anthony, what were you thinking?” 

“I was trying to help people. And he was supposed to be like Vision, but-”

“Woah, woah, wait. Who’s Vision?” Tony cursed underneath his breath. “Tony, who is Vision?” 

“He’s…uh, he’s…”

“Dammit Tony, you are in big trouble. When you get back to the tower I’m going to kick your ass.”

“I’m guessing that’s not a euphemism?”

“NO!”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” Pepper said angrily. She takes a deep breath. “Also, I forgot because I was blind with rage. Remember before you had the lead on Loki’s scepter, there was that real science problem you and Bruce had where you couldn’t find the correct equation for the CDC?” Tony nodded but then realized she could see her. 

“Yeah, I guess I’m going back to that pain in the ass.” 

“Someone came to me today and said they had figured it out.” Tony stood up in the helicarrier. 

“What? Wait, what?” Steve walked over to Tony, concerned. “Who? Give them my money, give them my car, give them my house, give them everything.” The rest of the Avengers came close to Tony, extremely interested in why Tony would give this mystery person his life possessions. 

“No, I’m mad at you. So I’m going to leave it as a surprise. And oh, it is a good surprise.” 

“I deserve that. Okay, I’ll go be surprised. We’ll be at the tower around three in the morning.” 

“Good. I gave them a key, and offered them a room. So, you may not see them until tomorrow morning. Goodnight, Tony.”

“I love you.”

“Sure.” Pepper hung up. 

“What was that, Tony?” Steve asked. 

“A couple weeks ago, before the whole Ultron incident, Banner and I were working on how to get rid of this horrid sickness plaguing the world. You wouldn’t know what it was, the CDC asked us to keep it down low. We couldn’t find anything, and frankly, it pissed me off. Loki’s scepter gave me a distraction; I thought maybe the answer would come to me if I wasn’t paying attention to it. But yet, nothing. Now Pepper said some person figured it out and that they’re at the tower.” 

“Is this person from SHIELD?” Natasha asked. 

“Pepper is mad at me; she didn’t tell me anything other than they are at the tower. I am so intrigued right now. FRIDAY?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Can we go faster?”

“Yes, sir. How much faster?”

“As fast as you can. I need to be at the tower now.” 

“Yes, sir.” The AI responded. 

 

The Avengers exited the helicarrier walking a bit slower than usual. Tony, on the other hand, raced into the tower. 

“Stark, wait.” Steve ran after him. 

Tony and Steve were the first to enter the living room, they looked around and saw nothing amiss. 

“Stark.” Steve was standing in front of a red, leather, couch. “Found your magic scientist.” Tony jogged over to the couch to find a teenage girl sleeping on her side. Her blonde hair draped over her face. 

“A kid. This is a joke; this must be a joke. No, this is a foster kid who couldn’t find a cab. Yeah, that’s what this is.” 

The rest of the Avengers joined Stark and Steve staring down at the girl. She wore a grey V-neck, and jean shorts that seemed to had been worn for years. Her feet were covered in shoes that were falling apart at the soles. 

“This kid can’t be a scientist, or even a college graduate. Look at her.” Tony whined. “We should wake her up and demand why she is in my tower.” 

“Let young girl sleep, Stark.” Pietro said. 

“Yeah, I’m not taking orders from you, Speedy.” Tony snarled. Pietro put his hands up in surrender. 

“Let’s just all go to sleep and talk to her when she wakes up.” Steve offered. The Avengers nodded and went to their own room. 

Before leaving Pietro covered the mystery girl with a nearby blanket. He brushed her hair out of face and saw that she was, in fact, beautiful. But she had smudge across her face, like she worked near dirt. 

 

Kennedy woke up with her hand crushed against her check and her other placed on the red, leather couch she was lying on. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, she just laid down to wait for Mr. Stark. 

I guess I was more tired than I thought. 

Kennedy sat up and stretched. She turned around to see that she wasn’t alone. The whole Avengers team watched her with curious eyes as she stood and walked over to them. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep. Ms. Potts gave me a key, she said y’all would be here soon. I, uh, fell asleep.” She walked over to Tony and stuck out her hand. “I’m Dr. Kennedy Garrett, it’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Stark.” Tony shook her hand with two fingers. Kennedy puts her hand in her back pocket. “I’m friends with one of your interns, he told me about the problem that you and Dr. Banner were having and I thought I’d give it a try. I believe to have solved it. I would like to go over it with you.” 

“Calm down, kid. We have all day to do that, take a seat. I need to trust you before you enter my kingdom.” Kennedy looked around the table. 

“He means his lab.” Natasha clarified. Kennedy nodded and took a seat, she sat at the edge of her chair with her spin straight. 

“You are doctor?” Wanda asked. 

“Yes, I graduated a few months ago.” Wanda smiled. 

“Either you look way younger than you are, or you are really smart.” Clint cut his eggs, while asking the question. 

“Both. I’m 19 years old.” Tony chocked on his coffee. “I know, it’s weird.” 

“It’s amazing.” Pietro said expanding the word, leaning across the table. Wanda kicked his leg. “How did that happen?”

“I graduated high school at twelve, then did seven years of college in different places.” Kennedy explained. 

“Out of curiosity, what colleges?” Natasha asked. 

“UT was first, then I went to a small college in Paris, then John Hopkins, Stanford, UCLA, I spent some time at Karolinska but most of that was more independent research. After that was London, and then I graduated from Harvard.” The whole team jaws were dropped open. 

“So, you flew to Paris when you were 14. Isn’t that illegal?” James Rhodes asked. 

“Yes, but the flight attendant must have lost her glasses temporarily while checking my passport.” Kennedy smiled. Natasha smiled openly, she liked this girl. 

“So, you grew up in Texas?” Natasha asked. 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“What are you doing in New York?” Tony asked. 

“I’m trying to get a job at Carter Research Facility, specializing in outbreaks.” For the first time Tony fully turned to her. 

“Why don’t you work for me?” 

“Stark Industries? Uh, no offense, Mr. Stark, but your research facility doesn’t focus on outbreaks. Actually, you don’t focus on disease control at all.” Tony nodded. 

“We could always start.” Kennedy leaned toward him. 

“Are you offering me a job? Cuz, I need a job, I haven’t worked in four months, four months. You know what I’ve been doing? Gardening. Like with plants and dirt and the outside.” Pietro smiled at the frenzied girl. “I need a job. CRF has been keeping me on a string this whole time, not even an interview. I need to work, Mr. Stark. I need to help.” 

Tony looked down at his coffee, he didn’t hate the girl. And he hated that he didn’t hate her. He understood her frustration at not working, whenever Pepper thought he shouldn’t be working he too thought that he could go insane. 

“Alright, kid, you got yourself a job. Congratulations, welcome to Stark Industries.” Tony stood up and put his plates in the sink. Kennedy looked at him with hope in her eyes. “Well, let’s go, kid. We got people to save.” 

Kennedy stood up, pushing her chair into the table. “It was real nice to meet y’all.” 

“You are welcomed here anytime, Kennedy.” Steve said. Kennedy nodded and almost skipped after Tony. After they were gone Steve looked at the team, “she is…”

“Amazing.” 

“Highly intelligent.” Vision said. 

“Krasivaya.” Wanda smacked her brother’s arm. “What?” 

“Alright Avengers. Training time. Let’s go.” Steve announced and the team placed their dishes in the sink. Wanda grabbed Pietro’s arm, holding him back. 

“Pietro, I like her, and she is young. You cannot ruin her for me.” Pietro laughed. 

“Ruin her, sister? How would I ruin her?” Wanda growled and slapped his arm. 

“Every friend I had back home you would sleep with then you’d break their hearts and I would be friendless. Now, we are in America, we are Avengers, we will start over. You can go out and sleep with girls who are dumb, leave Kennedy alone.” Wanda warned before leaving the kitchen. 

“As you wish, sister.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Kid, you are one smart cookie, I’ll give you that.” Tony watched as Kennedy worked her problem out on a screen. 

“This is some high tech, Mr. Stark.” Kennedy took a pause from her work. “Did you build all of this?” 

“Most of it, yes. The other was built by my workers, who are robots, that I also built. So, yes, I built all of it.” Kennedy smiled. 

“Cool.” She whispered. Tony noticed her interest in his tech and found that he hated himself even more that he didn’t hate her. 

“Kid, let’s take a break. I’m hungry, and you are freaking me out.” Kennedy turned to him, concerned. 

“What did I do?” Tony waved his hand as he left the lab. “Mr. Stark?” 

“Lunch, kid. Food is important.” Kennedy followed Tony to the kitchen where the other Avengers enter, covered in sweat; most of them have an injury of some kind. 

“Oh, my God. Are y’all okay?” Kennedy put a hand to her chest. 

“It’s just training, umnyye ptitsy.” Wanda rolled her eyes at the nickname.

“Tell me, Kennedy, can you reset a shoulder?” Natasha asked gesturing to Clint who was leaning against a wall, his arm hanging lower than it should on his body. 

“Uh, yeah. I can. Here, lay on…” Kennedy looked around. She moved some magazines and television remotes on the table by the couches. “This table.” 

Tony hadn’t been paying attention until Clint had laid down on a glass table. 

“Katniss, you’re not twenty anymore, don’t break my table.” Clint rolled his eyes and winced as Kennedy placed his arm down before preparing him for the intense pain. 

“Okay, Mr. Barton-”

“Call me…Clint.” He got out with little pause. 

“Clint, I’m going to place your arm on 3, okay?” Clint nodded. The rest of the Avengers gathered near to watch. “1.” She pushed his arm up and to the right, she heard his bone click into place then stepped back, not knowing how he’d react. “Sorry, it’s better if you don’t know it’s coming. How do you feel?” 

“Better. I’m good.” Clint rolled off the table and stood up, grunting. 

“Good work, kid.” 

“Y’all are…intense.” Kennedy sat down, breathing hard. 

“Where did you learn to do that?” Clint asked. 

“Uh, I saw it once, and then I did it on myself a few years back.” She put her hands in her back pockets. 

Steve laughed, handing water to Clint. “You are a very interesting person, Kennedy.” 

“I try to be, Mr. Rogers.” Steve was about to tell her to call him Steve, but before he could Kennedy walked over to Tony. “If you don’t mind, Mr. Stark, I’m going to go back to my apartment for lunch. Shower and change. I can be back in two hours.” 

“Make it four, I need to talk to Pepper.” Kennedy nodded and started to walk out.

“See y’all later, then.” Kennedy took the stairs down to the bottom floor. 

“How do you like Kennedy?” Natasha asked as they sat down for lunch. 

“She’s too happy, too cheery. We spent the whole morning talking about dead people and the things that made them dead and she was saying all this and being smart and figuring things out with a smile.” Natasha laughs and nudges Clint. 

Thor looks between the two. “I do not understand. What is the laughter for?” 

“It’s because Stark has finally met someone smarter than him.” 

Tony replied almost instantaneously, “on gross diseases that kill people, she is smarter than me at that. But not at everything.” 

“Can you push a shoulder back into its socket by watching someone do it once and then experimenting on yourself?” Clint asked smugly. It was good to see someone outmatch Stark for once. “And also, what put her in the position that she had to reset her own shoulder?” 

“Who cares?” Stark said pettily. “Once we get this formula ready to go I’ll send it to the CDC and she’ll be gone.” The team looked to Tony in exasperation. Pietro looked to Wanda, who looked like a child when an adult takes away her favorite toy. 

“No, you’re not.” Natasha said matter-of-fact. “You gave her a job. Pepper won’t let you fire her.” 

“That’s why Pepper’s never going to know I hired her.” 

“I think she already knows.” Rhodes says, looking down. 

“How could she possibly know?”

“Because I’ve been standing here for the last minute.” Pepper said taking her first step into the kitchen. Tony put his head in his hands. 

“This is not my day.” 

“And Natasha’s right, you’re not firing Kennedy. At least not yet, and when she does leave it’s going to be because you talked to Carter Research Facility and convinced them to give her a job.” 

“Pepper, baby, you know how I feel about Carter. He’s a son-”

“A son of a bitch with no brains. I know, dear. That doesn’t change the fact that you’re going to do it, and do it gladly.” Tony stuck his chin out. 

“And if I don’t?” Tony spoke defiantly. 

“I’ll enforce the November Initiative.” Tony gasped and put a hand to his heart. 

“You are a heartless woman.” Pepper smiled and bent down to give Tony a small peck on the lips. 

“Thank you. Have a good day, guys. I’ll be downstairs waiting, Tony. Do not be late.” 

“No promises.” Pepper left. 

“What’s the November Initiative?” Vision asked. 

“No sex until November.” The boys in the room sucked in their breath as if it was physically painful. 

 

Kennedy changed into torn jeans and a camisole, she covered up with a long sleeve cardigan. 

“Kennedy, you didn’t come home last night. Please tell me you were at some hot guy’s house.” Kennedy smiled and turned to her roommate, Stella, a junior at NYU. Kennedy was glad her roommate was in college, she got the apartment to herself mostly, so she could work…on gardening. It was meant to be her ‘think tank’, but the most thinking that has gone on in here is how to make those French treats she used to eat all the time. 

“I was at Stark tower.” Stella screeched. 

“My roommate slept with an Avenger! Holy shit, girl, you’ve been holding out on me. Who was it?” Kennedy laughed. 

“I didn’t sleep with an Avenger.” Stella groaned and walked into her room. “Wait, don’t you wanna know why I was there?” 

“Doing something sciency?” Stella guessed. 

“Yes, curing a deadly disease actually. And I got a job, at Stark Industries.” Stella came out of her room. 

“You’re working with Tony Stark?” Kennedy nodded. “Girl, yes. Now, you’re next step is to pick a target. Which one are you going to go for? I think you could get Captain America, but he is, like, a hundred years old. How about that new boy that’s about our age? The one that moves really fast?” Kennedy moved away from Stella. 

“I’m not going to sleep with any of them. That’d be weird.” 

“Kennedy, it’s only weird if you make it weird.” Kennedy sighed. “Wait, you’re totally right. You’d make it weird. Plan B, I’ll sleep with one of them.” Kennedy laughed. 

“Go for it, Stella. You can tell me if it’s different than sleeping with, I don’t know, you’re boyfriend?” Stella rolled her eyes. 

“We’re not exclusive.”

“Does he know that? Did you save the words ‘not exclusive’?” Stella spun herself into her room. 

“No, but he’s a senior, he should be smart enough to know.” Kennedy laughed again and started packing her bag for things she might need while at the tower. “Even if you’re not going to sleep with any of them, you still need to look cute. Put this on.” Stella threw Kennedy a dress. 

“I’m not wearing a dress. I’m going to be in a lab.” 

“If you look cute, when you tell them about me, they’ll think I look cute. Especially if you wear that dress with these boots.” She slid a pair of brown boots by Kennedy. 

“What’s wrong with my shoes?” Kennedy looked down at her ratted shoes. “They have…character.” 

“They have died. Those shoes died many years ago, you need to let them go. You’re just torturing yourself and others when you wear them. Please throw them away or if you want, I can have them cremated and put in a jar for you.” Kennedy scoffed and walked into her room to change. “I’m doing this for you.”


	3. Chapter 3

Pietro was practicing hand to hand combat with Clint when Pepper and Kennedy walked into the observational balcony. Kennedy had changed from her wrinkled, dirty, shirt and shorts to a summer dress, covered by a cardigan. Her hair was still up in a ponytail, but the dirt was off her face and Pietro was distracted. 

“You can look at the pretty girl all you want later, but now, you must focus.” Clint threw another punch at Pietro, that he blocked. Clint winced at the pain he felt in his shoulder. He shouldn’t be using the arm, but Pietro had to train, and everyone else was taken. 

“Clint.” F.R.I.D.A.Y. altered him. “Dr. Garrett has addressed me to inform you that if you put too much pressure on your shoulder it will dislocate again.” 

“Thank you, tell her I’ll take it easy. Alright, we’re done for today.” Pietro zoomed off, with the intension of finding Kennedy. 

When he found her she was with Pepper walking towards the catwalk. 

“Good afternoon, Pietro.” Pepper said cheerfully. 

“Good afternoon, Pepper.” 

“I bet Tony hasn’t introduced you to anyone has he?” 

Kennedy shook her head, “it’s alright, I know all their names. I think everyone does, especially everyone in New York.” 

Still Pietro presented his hand out for her. “Pietro Maximoff.” 

“Kennedy Garrett. Nice to meet you.”

“You too. You are very smart.” He complimented. 

“Thank you, you are very fast.” 

“Pietro, perhaps this afternoon you and Wanda could introduce Kennedy to the rest of the gang?” Pepper asked. “It’s good for you spend time with someone your age.” 

“We’d love to. Until then, Kennedy.” Pietro winked at her then zoomed off. 

“Well, that’s Pietro. Don’t let him get under your skin.” Kennedy nodded. “You know you could stay here while you’re working with Tony, there are a million rooms in this tower.” Kennedy smiled but shook her head. 

“I have a very nice apartment, with a roommate. And I don’t think I can leave her alone, she would burn down the whole building.” Pepper laughed. 

“Kennedy, what made you want to work in outbreaks?” Kennedy played with a ring on her finger, moving it up and down. 

“Uh, well, when I was a child, we lived in Germany, my mother was a care doctor for people who couldn’t afford regular doctors. I would sit with her since I couldn’t stay home by myself. There was a summer that a large population got the Marburg virus.”

“I remember that.” Pepper nodded. 

“There wasn’t a cure at the time and a lot of people died. So much so that there would be bodies covered in blankets on the street, like trash. One of my friends from elementary school, Sarah, both her parents got it and died in a week. From then on I dedicated my life to make sure that no child was left without parents, not if I could help it.” Pepper looked down at Kennedy while she was explaining herself. She saw how wise Kennedy was at such a young age. Pepper hoped that this young girl would open Tony’s mind. 

“That’s great, Kennedy. Your dream is about to come reality once you and Tony get that formula down to the CDC.” Kennedy nodded. “You’re going to be famous.” 

“Oh, please, no. I’d rather not, that’s why I was comfortable going to Mr. Stark. I was hoping he would be the face of it. I would be more than happy with just my name on file.” Pepper was surprised. “Yeah, that’s the face my mother made. I really don’t want the fame part of this job. I understand a lot of doctors do, but that’s not me. I want to focus on medicine. I don’t want clients because they saw my face but because they trust my expertise.” 

“That’s very adult of you, Kennedy.” Pepper suddenly got a sense that Kennedy didn’t have many friends. She was hoping Wanda and Pietro would take liking to her. Well, it was obvious Pietro already liked her. “Alright, I have to go back to work. Dinner is at 7. Make sure Tony goes.” Kennedy nodded, feeling a bit more comfortable around the tower. 

 

Wanda found Kennedy in the lab, banging her head against a desk. Tony was nowhere to be seen. 

“Kennedy?” Kennedy lifted her head and smiled when she saw Wanda. 

“Hello. Wanda, right?”

“Yes.” Wanda walked closer. 

“You’re awesome.” Wanda smiled and stood next to Kennedy. 

“Thank you. Would you walk with me?” Wanda asked. Kennedy nodded and stood up. 

“I’d love too. I need a break.” 

Kennedy and Wanda walked toward the elevator to take them down to the first floor.   
“Um, do you mind if we take the stairs?” Wanda was confused but didn’t question it.   
They took the stairs down. “I don’t like elevators. When I was a freshman in college I was put at the top floor of a dorm room. I was so much younger than the other students, I wasn’t liked very much. Not that I cared much, I was focused on my school work. These girls decided to play a prank on me, they locked the elevator once I got inside. They placed a sign on all the elevator doors saying that it was ‘temporarily out of use’. I was left in there for the entire day. I missed all my classes and three meals. I was found by an RA after dark. Since then I can’t be in elevators.” Wanda put a comforting hand on Kennedy’s shoulder. 

“That’s cruel. I’m so sorry, Kennedy.” 

“Don’t be, since then I’ve always taken the stairs. And look how muscular my legs are, you can’t pay for results like this.” Wanda and Kennedy laugh as they make their way down the stairs. 

When they got down to the bottom, Wanda led Kennedy to the forest that surrounded the tower. Wanda discovered it when she was mad at her brother and went for a walk to clear her head. 

On the way Wanda told Kennedy the details the press left out about the battle in Sokovia. Then how she and her brother decided to join the Avengers. 

“I’m so sorry, Wanda. Losing your home like that.” 

“It hadn’t been our home for a while, this place.” Wanda gestured to the tower. “This is our home now. Now, I have you. I very much would like to be friends. I’ve never had friends in Sokovia, only Pietro.” Kennedy clapped her hands together happily. 

“Wanda, I’d love to be your friend.” Wanda smiled. “Just so you know, I’ve never had many friends either. So, we can work through this together. Experience New York.” Wanda grabbed Kennedy’s hands. 

“I have not been excited for long time, Kennedy. I look forward to this.” Kennedy’s phone rang in her pocket. 

“Stark needs me. We should head back.” Kennedy typed away at her phone before putting it back in her pocket. 

“Wanda,” Pietro suddenly stood in front of the two girls. Wanda just crossed her arms, but Kennedy screamed and jumped back putting her hand up in a fighting pose. Pietro put his hands up in surrender. “It’s just me, umnyye ptitsy. Please do not fight me.” Pietro laughed. Kennedy put her hands down and walked back to her spot beside Wanda. “Wanda, Vision has offered to train you in flying. He has asked to meet you outside training room in ten minutes.” Wanda nodded, Kennedy noticed how happy she got when Pietro mentioned Vision. Pietro didn’t seem to notice. 

“Alright.” Kennedy’s phone rang again. 

“Yes, Mr. Stark?” She paused. “Wanda was showing me the forest. It’s nice…yes, sir. I am on my way.” Kennedy put her phone in her pocket. “Is he always this needy?” 

“Yes.” Pietro and Wanda answered. “Pietro, take Kennedy to Stark. I’ll go find Vision. I’ll see you later, yes?” Kennedy nodded. 

“Alright, Kennedy, hold on.” 

“Woah, wait.” Pietro scooped Kennedy up. She wrapped her arms around his neck. In a flash Pietro was gone, they stood in the lab. He placed Kennedy down, she grabbed onto the nearest desk and sunk down. She started giggling. “That was fun.” Pietro grinned widely down at Kennedy. 

“Speedy, get out of my lab. Kennie, get your blonde head into these case files.” Kennedy stood and laughed her way to the case files Tony had laid out on one of the many tables. “Speedy, leave.” Pietro waited for Kennedy to turn around, but she didn’t. So, Pietro rolled his eyes and left the lab.


	4. Chapter 4

Nick Fury was waiting in Pepper’s office when she got to work. “God, Nick, you scared me.” Nick twirled a pen in his hand. 

“Why wasn’t I told about Kennedy Garrett?” Pepper sat down in her chair. 

“Do you want me to inform you every time Stark Industries employs someone? Because if so, you are going to bury yourself in paperwork.” Pepper typed away at her computer.

“She’s working with Stark. She’s practically living in the tower. I deserve to know.” 

“Technically-”

“Don’t technically me, Pepper. Why is this kid genius working with Stark?” Pepper continued to type away at her computer, not paying attention to the rising tone in his tone. “Pepper.”

“I’m sorry, that information is classified.”

“You know, I could go down and talk to Stark.” Pepper didn’t look away from her screen. 

“You could, but I doubt he’ll talk to you either. So, good day, Nick.” Nick Fury stood and adjusted his jacket. “If it needed your attention we would have called. Don’t worry about it.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Nick mumbled. “I’ll worry about it if I want to worry about it. I was director of shield for half my life, I get to be worried.” 

“Don’t strain yourself.” Pepper spoke half-heartedly as Fury exited the door. 

As Fury was walking down the stairs he saw the face of Kennedy Garrett raced past him. Fury grabbed her arm, making her stop. She was breathing hard. 

“Garrett.” Kennedy looked confused for a moment before connecting the dots. 

“You’re, Director Fury?” Nick nodded. 

“I’ve read up on you, Garrett. You are pretty impressive.” Kennedy smiled and nodded. 

“Thank you, sir. I really have to get going-”

“What are you working on with Stark?” Kennedy’s realization hit her. 

“Yeah, Ms. Potts just emailed me saying not to disclose anything about that until it has been settled. Maybe you can take it up with her?” Kennedy offered. “I got to go, nice meeting you.” 

Nick Fury watched the girl take the steps two at a time, she used the railing as an anchor and swung herself to the right. Running down the hall, out of sight. 

 

Pietro had been hoping to see Kennedy again that day. His best chance was at dinner. Wanda had the same idea and sat with her brother as they waited for the young doctor. 

The other Avengers arrived, all but Tony and Kennedy. They had gotten out the plates and set them across the table. 

“F.R.I.D.A.Y.” Wanda said.

“Yes, Miss Maximoff?”

“Will you alert Mr. Stark and Kennedy that dinner is ready?” The A.I. does not respond for a few moments. 

“Mr. Stark says that they’ll be down soon.” Wanda smiled and took her spot on the table, sitting between Natasha and Vision. 

Not much later, footsteps were heard from the hallway. “-if they’re still there it will help us out.” Kennedy said racing through the kitchen. “Sorry, y’all, can’t stay. Gotta go break into an office.” She swung open the stairs door and ran down. Tony appeared a bit later, walking slowly. He was rubbing his temple. 

“That girl is going to be the death of me. I thought Pepper was bad. I need alcohol.” Tony went straight to his liquor cabinet. Pulled out a bottle and grabbed a glass then sat down at the table. “We keep on being hit with these walls and she is suggesting to just pick up a sledgehammer and knock that wall down. Like it’s that simple, and now she’s going to break into my own company. Unbelievable.” Natasha smiled. 

“I like her; can we keep her, Steve? Please?” Natasha begged. Steve looked at the group, everyone was smiling, except Tony. 

“No, no, no, no. You can’t pick her up off the streets and take her in.” Tony argued. “She’s…she’s annoying. And…way, way, to optimistic.”

“Mr. Stark, are you sure your dislike of Dr. Garrett is because of your trust issues?” Vision asked. 

“No, it’s just…” Tony looked around, tapping his foot, trying to think of something to say. “I already have to memorize all your names, and I don’t have room in my brain for this many people.” 

“Tony, everyone here thinks Kennedy is an amazing person.” Clint said biting into his pizza. “What’s your real deal?” Tony was reluctant to answer. Wanda wanted so desperately to reach into his brain and find out, but she made a deal with the Avengers that she would never do that without probable cause. This was not one of those times. 

“I don’t need to take this. I’m going back to the lab and wait for Kennie to return.” Natasha looked at Clint, the two seemed to have a silent conversation. After Tony left Natasha and Clint. 

“I feel like I missed something.” Rhodes said, pointing to the two assassins. 

“Mr. Stark just called her Kennie, indicating that he actually doesn’t hate her as he seems.” Vision answered. “The use of nicknames indicates affection.” Wanda suddenly lowered her head so that no one could see the heat rising to her cheeks. She has used nicknames for Vision for weeks. Did he know her feelings for him? If he had why hadn’t he said anything? 

“With Banner gone, maybe she could…fill the position. Nothing permanent, but it would definitely give her an advantage to get that research job.” Steve offered. Natasha had a hard time, talking about Bruce. He had just…left. Without word, without notice. It’s almost been a week and nothing. 

“It’s your call Steve.” Clint pointed out. 

Steve looked around the table. Everyone smiled at the idea of Kennedy joining the team. “Alright, we’ll ask her when she gets back.” 

When she got back ended up being ten minutes later. She pushed the door open with her foot and continued to run, then slid to a stop until she turned around to face the Avengers. Her hair was messy and her skin was shining with sweat. 

“I got it. And I didn’t get caught, I feel so badass right now.” The team smiled at the girl’s happiness. “Whoo, science!” She yelled as she walked out of the kitchen. 

“We’ll talk to her tomorrow.” The team nodded in agreement.


	5. Chapter 5

Kennedy sleepily waved goodbye to Tony, she wobbled her way down to the kitchen. She checked the clock, 1:25am. She needed to go home. 

“Kennedy.” Kennedy jumped in the air, suddenly feeling more awake. It was Wanda and Pietro who were sitting on the couch. “Did you solve problem?” 

“Uh, no, but we are getting close. I’m…tired. I’m going to go back to my apartment. I’ll see y’all tomorrow.” Kennedy ran into the kitchen island. She grunted. “Ha, there’s a table there.” She laughed softly. “Why are y’all still up?”

“Steve called it ‘jet lag’. Kennedy, you should stay here tonight.” Wanda put a hand on Kennedy’s arm.

“No, I can’t. Stella, she can’t be by herself at night. I need to be there.” Wanda pulled Kennedy away from the kitchen. 

“I am sure she can be good for one night; you can stay in my room.” Wanda offered. 

“You don’t understand. Her ex-boyfriend will get to her if I’m not there; I need to be there to protect her. I have to set the alarm.” Wanda looked at Pietro confused. 

“Alright, Pietro, take her home.” 

“I’m fine. I can walk, it’s not that far.” She yawned at the end of the sentence. Pietro laughed. He picked her up and instantly she was asleep. 

“One problem, I don’t know where her apartment is.” 

“F.R.I.D.A.Y.”

“Yes, Ms. Maximoff?” 

“I need Kennedy’s apartment address.” 

“4018 Sunshine Rd.” Pietro nodded. 

“I know where that is. I’ll be right back.” 

“Ms. Maximoff, there are many rooms here. Perhaps, Dr. Garrett would be more comfortable here.” Wanda looked to Pietro, she didn’t want to go against Kennedy. 

“She would be more comfortable in her own bed, but thank you F.R.I.D.A.Y.” 

Wanda put an arm on Pietro’s arm. “Go, make sure she is safe.” Pietro nodded and zoomed out of the tower. 

Pietro arrived at her apartment a few seconds later. Kennedy’s head was resting against his chest, with one hand gripping his shirt. He walked up the stairs slowly, he lowered his head and took in the scent of her. She smelled like the coffee and some sort of flower. He smiled down at her, her face was relaxed. Her eyes fluttered from side to side, as if searching for something. Her lips parted every now and again and how Pietro could easily bend his head down a little lower and kiss her. 

He knocked on the door. 

“Vincent, I have a crowbar, and it would look great attacked to your face.” 

“I am returning Kennedy.” Pietro deduced that Vincent was the ex-boyfriend Kennedy was talking about. 

Stella opened the door to find her roommate in the hands of an Avenger.   
“You’re…you’re…uh, come in.” Stella moved and put the crowbar on top of a desk. “Her room is that door.” She pointed to a parted door. Pietro smiled at the bewildered woman then moved into Kennedy’s room. 

The room was filled with pieces of paper depicting formulas that Pietro didn’t understand. Her bed had purple sheets topped with a quilt that looked decades old, it had bright red, yellow, and green colors, being very out of place in the room. He made a mental note to ask her about it later. He laid her down on her bed pushing her feet underneath the covers. She held on to his shirt when he put her down, making him fall on top of her. His face went into her hair. He put a hand to hers and pulled it off, placing it on her stomach. Her head rolled to the side, her hair falling into her face. Pietro moved it to the side, like the first day he saw her. He pulled the covers up to her chin and kissed the side of her head. “Goodnight, umnyye ptitsy.” 

Pietro walked out of the room. “Kennedy said something about alarm?” He asked the girl who was pacing around the room. 

“I can set it up, Kennedy just likes to do it because she knows I would forget if it was my job. Thank you for…returning her.” Pietro walked toward the door. “Feel free to return anytime you want.” Pietro nodded and closed the door behind him. 

He raced back to the tower where Wanda was waiting for him. 

“Don’t worry, I didn’t ruin her.” Wanda rolled her eyes. 

 

Kennedy woke up to the sound of her cell phone ringing. She groaned and rolled over to grab her phone, but it wasn’t there. The ringing continued until she realized it was coming from her pocket. She pulled it out, it was her mother. 

“Hey, Mama.” 

“Sweetie, I need to speak with you.” The sound of her voice made Kennedy sit up quickly. 

“Mom, what happened?”

“Andrew, your…your father, he is out of jail. Got out on good behavior. He’s been out for two weeks; I need you to move.” Kennedy’s heart sped up so fast she could hear it inside her mind. “Kennedy, I don’t care where you go, but you need to leave. Don’t tell me where you go, okay?” 

“Mom, I…I can’t, I just got this job and it’s a great stepping stone into CRF.” 

“Kennedy, we are talking about your safety. I need to know that you’re safe.” 

“I’m with the Avengers every day, he can’t touch me. I’m safe, mama, I promise.” Kennedy’s eyes filled with tears, she looked up. She had to keep strong for her mother. “I have to go to work, Mama, I promise I’ll be fine. Call me if you need me, okay?”

“Okay, sweetie, please be careful. He could be anywhere.” She hung up and put her head in her hands.

Kennedy remembered very little of her father. The most distinguishing memory is her farther was when he took her to get doughnuts before taking her to school. Her parents would fight almost every night. She wasn’t surprised that one night she woke up to the sound of a slammed door. She didn’t even get out of bed. 

The next morning a cop showed up at her door to say that he was being taken to jail. He yelled and screamed that this was his wife’s fault. He vowed that he would take his daughter once he got out. Ever since then Kennedy’s mother had made sure that they had no connections with him and they planned to erase all connections to him. So, her mother went back to her maiden name and so did Kennedy. 

Stella came in knocking lightly on her door. “Kennedy? Are you…girl, what happened?”

“Nothing, nothing. I just…had a bad dream. I’m alright, promise.” Stella nodded. 

“Alright, I’m off. And I told you that dress would work. You looked comfy all up in that guy’s arms. It was pretty freakin’ cute.” Kennedy was slightly confused, but then realized that Pietro had probably carried her home. 

“Right, that. That was not my idea.” Stella slapped Kennedy’s arm lightly. 

“It should have been. I want to see him again, Kennedy. I want to hear his voice again. His voice is the equivalent to dark chocolate.” Kennedy laughed and shooed Stella out of her room to get dressed. “And I don’t care what you wear, but it better not be a t-shirt.” Kennedy rolled her eyes and flicked through her closet. Choosing a loose, green, blouse and skinny jeans with converse. “I approve of your outfit; you may now go to work.” Stella opened the door and gestured for Kennedy to leave. 

“Bye, Stella.” 

Kennedy took the same path to the tower every day. Pepper had offered to have a car pick her up, but she had refused on the account that she loved walking. She didn’t want to say that being enclosed in a car sometimes freaks her out. Her claustrophobia had increased over the years, it increased itself to cars, subway cars with too many people, and recently, apartments with small showers. Luckily, the current one had a giant shower which is why she chose it. 

Tony noticed that Kennedy was distracted. She hadn’t talked much and worked silently on a pieces of paper, seemingly to be working on the same equation for whole morning. He had tried to talk to her, but was only responded with “yeah” and “sure”. Tony found himself missing her usual optimism. He eventually got a bit concerned when she refused to eat lunch. He decided to ignore it. 

“Mr. Stark, it is time for dinner.” F.R.I.D.A.Y. announced. Tony pushed away from his desk and walked by Kennedy.

“Kennie, time for dinner. Let’s go.” Kennedy shook her head. 

“Not hungry.” Tony rolled his eyes. 

“Kid, I’ve seen you eat, I know you’re hungry. Now I let it slide for lunch, but I will not be responsible for starving my employees so as you’re boss-”

“Actually, Pepper is my boss.”

“As your boss’ ex-boss I order you to come and eat some food.” Kennedy smiled for the first time she arrived at the tower. 

“Tony, just…not today.” Her tone concerned Tony. He sat down in a wheelie chair and rolled himself over to her. 

“Talk to me, kid. What’s going on?” 

“Nothing…yet.” Truthfully, Kennedy was scared. Scared that on her way home from the tower she would run into her father. Scared because the stories she heard, the declarations he made about getting ‘his baby girl’ back rang in her head throughout the day. 

“Would you like to go home?” Tony offered. 

“No.” She said quickly. She didn’t know how she would take the fifteen-minute walk home. The later it got the scarier it became, but she could make herself do it. 

“Alright then, I give up, kid. I can’t read your mind.” Tony left the lab. 

“Tony, where’s Kennedy?” Steve asked concernedly. Everyone was concerned when Tony announced that she hadn’t been speaking all morning and refused to come down for lunch. 

“I don’t know, it’s kind of freaking me out. But, what can I do? I can’t…” He trailed off looking at Wanda. “Wanda, I give you permission to go into my lab and fix our doctor.” Wanda was too surprised to respond. She simply stood and walked to the lab. 

She knocked on the wall as she entered, Kennedy was typing on a laptop. “Kennedy?” Kennedy slammed the laptop shut. 

“Wanda, you scared me.” 

“We are worried. You need to eat.” Wanda put a hand on her shoulder. “Kennedy, we are friends. Friends look after friends.” Kennedy opened her mouth to say something but then closes her mouth. 

“Would it be too much trouble for Pietro to take me home again tonight?” Wanda nodded. “I…I don’t want to walk.” 

“May I ask why?” 

“Wanda, I’m scared of something that hasn’t happened. That may never happen. And yet, I’m terrified. And I know that I shouldn’t let it get to me, because I need to be strong, be strong for my mother, but…I’m scared, Wanda. I’m so scared.” Kennedy sank to the floor. “I’m scared he’s going to find me.” She suddenly looked up. “I need to go home.” Kennedy ran towards the door. 

“Do you want me to get Pietro?” It was an innocent question. It would have been easy to say yes. But the unreasonable part of Kennedy’s brain told her that the less people involved the better, she didn’t want her work interfering with her personal life. 

So Kennedy said, “no.” She ran through the kitchen, not stopping to acknowledge the people who were speaking to her. 

“Kennedy?” They yelled after her. When Wanda appeared with a questionable look on her face they crowded her. “Wanda, what happened?” They asked. 

“She is scared of someone finding her. A man. She didn’t say who, but she is terrified.”

“F.R.I.D.A.Y.” Tony called.

“Yes, sir?”

“Does Kennedy have any relatives that recently discovered her, or made contact with her?” Everyone waited for the A.I. to respond. 

“Kennedy Garrett does not, but Kennedy Jacobson does. It seems that ten years ago Dr. Garrett lived with her mother and father, Janet and Andrew Jacobson, before he was charged with manslaughter after a DUI that killed a two kids and their parents. After he was imprisoned Mrs. Jacobson moved her and Kennedy away and changed their surnames to her maiden name, Garrett. He was released two weeks ago, early for good behavior. In the courtroom, he claimed that it was his wife’s fault for the accident and that she was unfit to be a mother and when he got out he would take back ‘his baby girl’.” 

Wanda tugged on Pietro shoulder, he picked her up and they disappeared. 

“Find Andrew Jacobson now.” Tony ordered. The team discarded their food and started getting organized. 

“He seems to be in Virginia, sir.” The team sighed. 

“We should find her.” Clint said pressing the elevator button. 

“Pietro and Wanda probably already have.” Natasha put her gun back in her pants pocket. “You think Andrew is going to try and kidnap Kennedy?” She asked Tony. 

“Well, she’s over 18, so his intention can’t be to take full custody.” Rhodes stated.   
“That doesn’t mean he won’t try and find her. She should stay here until we find this bastard first.” Tony grabbed his jacket and slipped it back on. 

“Wait, is Tony…caring about Kennedy right now?” Natasha cooed. 

“Shut it, Romanov.” He left the kitchen to head back to the lab.


	6. Chapter 6

Kennedy thought through her plan to get back to her apartment. She was going to take a short cut; it went by some other college apartments. It would be good cover and she had never taken this route before. If anyone had been watching her, they wouldn’t go that way. 

It was for this reason she didn’t see Pietro and Wanda until she had made it to her apartment. 

“I…I’m sorry. I just…wanted to go home.” Wanda pulled Kennedy into a hug. Kennedy kept her tears inside her as Wanda comforted her. “I’m fine now. I’m home. I’ll be okay.” After Kennedy detached herself from Wanda she walked up to Pietro. “Thank you for taking me home yesterday. And thank you for coming to make sure I was alright.” She took a breath and put on a smile. “I’m going to go to bed, I’ll see y’all tomorrow.” Pietro looked to his sister. 

“Kennedy, I don’t have to read your mind to know that you are not fine. You are not okay.” Kennedy spun around. 

“I thought that too. This whole day I was freaking out, I was thinking of every possible outcome. I thought of every memory I could remember with Andrew and I was scared. But, now that I’m here, it may just be a false sense of security, but I feel safe. Andrew controlled my life for nine years, he controlled by mothers for twenty. He doesn’t get to control me anymore; I’ve decided right now that if he comes anywhere near me I’m going to handle the situation like an adult. I’m going to be everything he isn’t: good, kind, caring, brave, and adult. And I will punch him in the face, with my words…and maybe my fist.” Pietro didn’t try to hide his smile at the girl who went from defenseless to independent in twenty seconds. 

“Okay, but promise me you’ll call or text before you punch with words and fists?” Kennedy nodded. 

“Kennedy, I will pick you up tomorrow. 9 o’clock.” Pietro stated. 

“Pietro, I’m not scared anymore.” She put a hand to his arm. 

“But I am. I don’t want to see you hurt.” He grabbed her hand and kissed it. “I’ll be here at 9 o’clock. Goodnight, umnyye ptitsy.” 

“Someday, you’ll have to tell me what that means. The variety of Russian I know comes from the movie Anastasia.” Pietro and Wanda laughed at the reference; Natasha had showed them the movie one night. 

Kennedy found that Stella was not in her room. She went to the small dry erase board that they kept whenever one of them would be gone. It read: PARTY TIME. Meaning she was at some party. Kennedy thought nothing of it beside that she got to watch How I Met Your Mother as she fell asleep. 

Kennedy woke up for the second time to her phone ringing. This time the phone was on her table, vibrating an annoying pattern. Caller ID said it was a random number. She answered. 

“Yeah?” She said half awake. 

“Kennie, I’m in trouble.” Stella’s voice was shaking. 

“Hello, Kennedy.” Vincent’s voice made goosebumps appear across her arms. “Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy. You have been keeping my love from me. I don’t take kindly to take.” 

“Where are you?” Vincent laughed. 

“Oh, I’m at Stella’s favorite coffee shop, just having a date with my lady. You should come join us, it’ll be like old times. You, me, and Stella.” Kennedy put her phone on speaker, while she got dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. 

“Tell me where you are, Vincent.” 

“You say my name like one of your deadly diseases, if you’re going to be like that you shouldn’t even come. Forget I asked, it’ll be a date for two. Goodbye, Kennedy.” Kennedy barely heard Stella say something before he hung up. 

Vincent must think that Kennedy doesn’t know where Stella’s favorite coffee shop is, even if they weren’t the best of friends she still knew stuff about Stella. Her childhood dog, who her first boyfriend was, where she grew up, what her favorite coffee house was. 

On her way out the door she called Tony, “I’m going to be late.”

“What’s the problem, Doc?”

“I think my roommate’s ex-boyfriend is holding her hostage, I’m going to go rescue her.” Tony took a second to register her words. 

“Uh, do you need help?”

“No, I got this.” 

“Okay, kid, be careful.” 

 

Tony hung up the phone. Pepper had just walked in at the end of the conversation. 

“Tony, was that Kennedy? Is something wrong?” 

“No, she’s dealing with…something. She’s gonna be late.” Pepper put down her phone. 

“Maybe we should send someone after her?”

“I don’t know where she is, leave the girl alone. She’ll be fine.” Pepper wasn’t convinced but went back to work anyway. 

Tony walked up to lunch with his phone in his hand. “Tony, where’s Kennedy, is she alright?” Wanda asked. 

Tony looked around. “Oh, I guess she didn’t come in yet. Weird, she was supposed to be a few minutes late.” He sat down still concentrated on his phone. 

“Well, what did she say when she called?” Pepper said, placing a cup of tea in front of Tony. 

“Uh, her roommate’s boyfriend…something about hostage. She said not to worry.” Tony brushed it off. 

“Dammit, Tony. Pietro, go check her apartment, see if she’s there.” Pietro didn’t have to be told twice. In a flash he was gone. “Tony, did she say where?” 

“No. I’m missing something, aren’t I?” 

“Yes, Tony, she could be in trouble.” Pepper smacked Tony upside the head. “We have no idea where she could be.” 

 

Kennedy walked with Stella back to their apartment with an arm around her shoulder. They had to suffer through a four-hour meal with Vincent. He was harmless, delusional, but harmless. Stella cried into Kennedy’s shoulder. They ended the meal with Stella explaining that if he ever came near her again, she would call the police. He backed off at that. 

“Why am I stupid?” Stella said softly. 

“You’re not stupid, Stella. You just made a mistake, it’s over now. You can move on.” Stella whipped her eyes with a tissue. “Vincent is in the past; you have that new guy…uh…”

“Charlie.”

“Charlie, he’s cute. If it’ll make you feel better, I can teach you some defense maneuvers. And I can teach you how to punch a person in the face. Would that make you feel better?” Stella nodded into Kennedy’s shoulder. “Okay.” 

After draping a blanket over Stella, Kennedy kneeled down next to her slightly blocking the television. “Do you want me to stay?”

“No, you can go to work. The threat worked, I could see it in his face.” 

“Okay, text me if you need anything.” Stella nodded and pulled the blanket up to her chin. Kennedy took one last look at her roommate before closing the door. She turned her phone back on to see that she had multiple texts from Tony, Pepper, Wanda, and Pietro. 

Kennedy texted each of them that she was on her way and safe. When the tower was in sight she felt her hair being blown into her face. Hands cupped her face and instinctively she punched the intruder’s stomach. 

“Kennedy.” 

“God dammit, Pietro. You need to stop that, wear a bell or-” Her words were cut off when her face was slammed into his chest. 

“What were you thinking? You were not thinking, that’s what.” She tried to explain herself, but it was impossible to even breathe. She tapped his chest a few times, he didn’t seem to understand. “We are friends, no? Friends don’t go off and handle hostage situations alone. I am Avenger. I could-” Kennedy slipped out of his arms and took a deep breath. 

“You got quite a grip there. But, remember that I need to breath to live.” She said in between heavy breaths. 

Pietro put his hands on his hips. “I apologize, but Kennedy, why didn’t you ask for help?” 

“I handled the situation fine. It wasn’t necessary, just some crazy guy who is in love with Stella. He’ll back off now, he just needed some convincing. Everything is fine now.” She walked around Pietro and into the building. 

“Wait. I’m not finished talking.” He started walking the stairs with her. 

Kennedy stopped on one stair and turned to face Pietro, who was now eye level with her. 

“Uh…” Pietro realized that he actually had said all he wanted to say. Kennedy nodded and continued to walk up the stairs. 

Pietro zoomed in front of her and grabbed her shoulders. He took a breath, collecting his thoughts. 

“I was worried when you did not answer calls. I was worried you were hurt, and I could not find you.” Having a doctorate did not prepare Kennedy for the wave of feelings that had hit her like a truck. Someone cared about her, was worried about her. Not just her mother, whose job was to worry, but a man, a very handsome man. Kennedy had to lower to head to keep the blush from showing. Pietro put one hand to her cheek, pulling her face back up to meet his. “Please do not worry me like that again, umnyye ptitsy.” 

“I don’t like making promises I can’t-” Pietro smiled as he could not resist any longer, he lowered his head and connected his lips to hers. Kennedy was shocked for a second before closing her eyes and giving herself up to Pietro. Her arms wrapped around his neck and the only thing she could think of was, ‘Stella will be so proud of me’. 

Kennedy couldn’t help but smile as she pulled away. Her hands slipped down his arms, resting on his biceps. 

“You are…muscular.” Pietro laughed. Kennedy’s eyes widen, she hadn’t meant to say that out oud. “Uh, I have to go. Stark has probably burn down most of the lab by now.” Pietro pushed her hair behind her ear. “We are going to talk about this later.” She promised as she ran up the rest of the stairs. Pietro leaned against the wall of the stairway and chuckled to himself. He watched her jump the stair two at a time. He smirked and raced up to her, picking her up in his arms. Milliseconds later he placed her down outside the lab. 

“I look forward to later.” He whispered in her ear before kissing her cheek and leaving her with the blue dust.


	7. Chapter 7

Kennedy’s outfit: http://www.polyvore.com/dr_kennedy_garrett/set?id=202542808

“Kid, I think we just found the cure!” Tony walked over and clapped Kennedy on the back. Kennedy’s eyes were drooping; they had pulled an all-nighter. Stella had some friends over, and reassured Kennedy that she was safe. She wanted to spend time thinking about what to say to Pietro, but the dying people had stolen her attention.

Kennedy smiled down at the floor and laughed. “Let’s get this bitch to the CDC.” Tony announced. “We are having a party.” 

“We can’t have a party until it’s proven successful. Don’t jump the gun, Tony.” Kennedy warned. 

“We’ve worked out asses off, may I at least have a drink?” Kennedy nodded and rested her head on her arms. “Do you want one?” He leaned against the wall. 

“I’m 19.” 

“Didn’t stop me.” 

“Didn’t think it would.” She tried to keep her voice low. Tony chuckled.

“You know me too well, doc.” Tony walked out of the room, not looking at all tired. Kennedy on the other hand would fall asleep on the lab floor if it meant she could close her eyes. 

“Have a nice day, umnyye ptitsy?” Kennedy shot her head up when the voice spoke behind her. She spun around in the chair, her feet didn’t exactly reach the floor so she saw Pietro’s face in a large grin as she past him, spinning back to her original position. She spun again, careful to stop in front of Pietro. 

“Tony and I believe we have finished the formula. We’re about to send it in to the CDC.” Pietro smiled and grasped her hips to spin her around. He dropped her, but held his grip as she became dizzy. 

“That is great news, Kennedy.” 

“Thanks…I’m really tired.” She laughed, slightly delusional. “We’re,” she pointed between the two of them, “going to talk, later, when my mind isn’t pounding.” 

“Talk about what, umnyye ptitsy?” He teased. 

“About…oh, you know what.” She pushed against his chest. 

“Oh, you mean this?” He pulled on her arm, forcing it to rest on his shoulder. With the other he pushed some of her frizzled hair out of her face before kissing her. 

Kennedy’s knees crumbled, she would have surely fallen if it weren’t for Pietro’s arms around her. 

Pietro wasn’t Kennedy’s first kiss, though she wish he was. Her actual first kiss was in Henry Saver, her first semester at Harvard. He was a boy in her class who sat next to her. No one had ever said the things he said to her. She dated him until she caught him stealing her notes. He had only dated her to pass the class. After that she sworn off dating. Of course the only men he had been around was the kind that wanted to be like her. Pietro was different, he didn’t like her because she could get him a good grade, he liked her…actually, she didn’t know why he liked her. 

Kennedy pulled away, but kept her arm slung around his shoulder. “Why?” She asked simply. 

Pietro looked down at the girl in his arms. He swayed into her, placing a kiss on her forehead. “In Sokovia, there were many men and women who were passionate, but all about negative prospects. Negative towards America, towards the Avengers, towards the soldiers. I was negative too. But, then you arrived and you were so positive. Positive and happy about saving people, about making the world better place. And this amount of positivity, it is like drug. I want more and more.” Kennedy starred up at Pietro, her mouth hanging open. “I like being around your positivity, and I don’t want it to go away.” He rested his chin on the top of her head. 

“Pietro, I…I…I like you too.” She raised her head to put a small kiss to his cheek. She then closed her eyes and leaned into his shoulder. 

“I could tell you what umnyye ptitsy means.” He said into her hair. When Kennedy didn’t respond, he pulled her hair back to find her eyes closed and her mouth open slightly, breathing in and out at a steady pace. He picked her up quickly, her head didn’t move its place on his shoulder. 

“Kid, I know you-” Tony narrowed his eyes at Pietro. “Hey, that’s my kid genius, go find your own.” Pietro rolled his eyes and walked out of the lab. 

“She fell asleep. I’ll take her home.” Tony hummed. 

“Speedy, you hurt her, I’ll take away your ability to walk.” Pietro was curious and turned to face him, to see if he was serious. Tony drowned his glass in one swallow, then poured another. Pietro ran down the stairs with Kennedy until he was standing outside her apartment. 

He knocked on the door, a different woman answered. A red, plastic cup in her hand. “Uh, Stella, there’s…” 

Stella swayed her way over to the door. “Oh, uh…” Stella stepped out of the room. “Maybe she should stay with you, tonight. We’re having a party, and it’s going to be going on for a while. I’ll grab some of her clothes and put it in a bag. Just, let her know I’m alright. She worries too much.” While Stella went back inside, Pietro rubbed Kennedy’s arm softly. 

Stella returned with a backpack. Pietro slung it over his shoulder. “I’m sorry, it’s just…she doesn’t need to be a part of this.” Pietro nodded. “Thank you.” Stella stepped back into the apartment. 

Pietro ran back to the tower. He walked into his room and placed Kennedy down. Immediately she turned on her side and wrapped her arms around the pillow. Pietro covered her and fought the urge to crawl in beside her. He took a deep breath and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. 

He went to the kitchen and fixed himself a sandwich. A little while later Wanda walked in along with Vision. They didn’t seem to notice him. Pietro slid himself underneath the table. 

“Vision, could you not sleep?”

“I do not require sleep. I can close my eyes and recharge.” Pietro continued to eat his sandwich underneath the table. 

“What do you do when everyone else is asleep?” Wanda asked. 

“I try to teach myself social skills mostly.” 

“I could help, if you wish.” Pietro stopped chewing. Did his sister just offer to spend the night in The Vision’s room? 

“I would like that very much, Wanda.” Pietro left his hiding spot and put himself between them. 

“No, no, no. No one will be spending any time with anyone alone at night in a room.” Pietro pushed Vision farther away from his sister. “Not while I am alive.” Wanda crossed her arms. 

“Pietro, calm down.”

“Mr. Maximoff, is there something wrong?” Pietro didn’t pay attention to Vision. 

“Wanda, I refuse-”

“You cannot refuse anything. I am Avenger, I can do whatever I want.” Pietro narrowed his eyes. 

“I am older brother. My job is to protect you.” 

“I don’t need protecting, Pietro. You think Vision would hurt me?”

“I would do no such thing.” Vision interrupted. 

“And your job is to support me in my decisions. Plus, you are overreacting.” Pietro scoffed. 

“I don’t overreact.” Wanda opened her arms, gesturing around her. “Fine. I will not stop you.” He put a finger on Vision’s chest. “But I’ll be watching you.” 

“I think you’ll be too busy watching Kennedy.” Wanda retorted. “Don’t think I haven’t seen your mind.” Pietro turned to Wanda, glaring at her. 

“You promised.”

“I didn’t go searching for it, it was as if you were projecting it. It was all you could think about today.” Wanda walked over to her brother and put her hands on his arms. “And I am happy for you. I know you care more for her than you say.” Pietro looked down, not wanting to show how much truth his sister was speaking. “All I want to say is…let me see Kennedy every now and again. I like her too. Now go to bed.” She scolded. 

“I can’t. She’s in my bed.” Wanda’s eyes widen. “No, not that. She fell asleep in the lab and when I took her home, her roommate did not want her to stay. I brought her back here. Plus, I am not tired.” Wanda hugged her brother tightly. Pietro raised his arms in surprise, then lowered them around her. 

“You are changed, brother.” Pietro was about to disagree but then he thought about the man he was back in Sokovia. He, in fact, was very much changed.


	8. Chapter 8

Kennedy did not open her eyes when she woke up. She reached over to were her desk was supposed to be to grab her phone. But there was no desk and her arm fell to the side of a bed. Not her bed. Kennedy opened her eyes to find herself wrapped up in sheets that were not hers. She scrambled out of the bed and looked around. The room was bare, some clothes hung around the room. She looked out the window and saw the forest. She sighed in relief, she must be in the Avenger’s Tower. She gasped. 

This must be Pietro’s room, what the hell am I doing here?

She racked her brain to what happened last night. Then she gasped again. Her and Tony had figured out the correct equation for the cure formula. She jumped up and down a few times before racing out of the room. She raced towards the lab, which was empty. So, she ran to the kitchen to find the Avengers, including Tony, eating breakfast. 

“Morning, Kennedy.” Steve said. 

“Sleep well?” Natasha asked with a sly smile. 

“We found the correct equation, or was I dreaming?” She asked Tony. 

“You didn’t dream it, doc, I sent it in after you fell asleep. They said they would call when it proved itself.” Kennedy jumped up and down. 

“We did it; we actually did it! Ahh!” Kennedy pushed Tony’s shoulder. The team looked at him, expecting him to have a sour look on his face. Instead he was smiling. 

“We did do it.” He said. 

“Whoo!” Kennedy ran towards the lab, away from the kitchen. 

“Mr. Stark, there is a Jason Carter here to see you.” Tony’s smiled faded away just as quickly as it came. 

“Ugggh.” Tony groaned. “And I was having such a great day.” 

“You’re going to talk to him about giving Kennedy that job?” Clint asked, sipping at his coffee. Pietro looked up from his food at this. He knew about this, but he thought he would have more time. He looked to Wanda, who in turn just held up her hand. 

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Have you asked Kennedy if she still wants the job?” Wanda asked. “She could always work here.” 

“Wanda, we shouldn’t keep Kennedy from her dream job.” Steve pushed away the last two bites of his food. He wanted Kennedy to stay as much as Wanda did, but keeping her here would be selfish. 

“At least offer it to her.” Wanda pleaded. 

“I’ll offer.” Tony put his dishes in the sink and walked to the lab. 

Underneath the table, Wanda grabbed her brother’s hand. 

 

Tony walked into the lab scratching his neck. “Hey, kid, uh, Kennedy. I wanted to ask you something.” 

“Shoot.” Kennedy was smiling at the files she went through. 

“So, our project is done here.” He started. Kennedy put the files down and walked towards him, with her hands in her back pockets. 

“And you’re kicking me out. I get it, it’s been fun. Saving the world, and all.” Kennedy stuck out her hand to shake his. 

“Actually kid, I want to offer you a full time job at Stark Industries.” Kennedy dropped her hand and opened her mouth. “Just so you know, Jason Carter is downstairs. Pepper and I agreed from the moment you arrived that we would put in a good recommendation for you, whenever this was over. It’s whatever you want, kid.” Kennedy stepped back a bit. 

“Uh, wow. This is…unexpected.” Kennedy looked around the lab. She could easily imagine spending her days here. Working with the Avengers would surely never be boring. Plus, Pietro was here. 

She could hear her mother in her head, “never date where you work, trust me, it never works out.” 

Plus, Stark Industries didn’t work on diseases. And no cute guy should keep her from her years of training. 

“I am grateful for the offer, but-”

“But you want to work for Carter.” Tony nodded, only a tiny bit disappointed. 

“I did enjoy working with you.” Kennedy stepped forward. 

“I did too, kid. When they prove our equation you’ll be invited to the party.” Tony walked out. 

“Thank you, Tony.” 

 

Wanda was the first to search out Kennedy. She found her in the spot of the forest she had shown her. 

“Kennedy, you are leaving?” Kennedy turned around, her eyes were a bit red. “What is wrong?” She opened her arms for Kennedy to run into. 

“I thought I knew what I wanted, Wanda. I had a plan, ever since I was little. I had a plan. I was going to save people; I was going to keep people alive.” Wanda pulled away. “And Carter Research Facility is the perfect place for that. I would be helping people.”

“But…” Wanda started for her. 

“But then why do I not want to go? Wanda, why do I want to stay here?” Of course, a part of Kennedy knew why she wanted to stay. Kennedy was never one to really make friends, and when she did she kind of latched on to them like octopi. She has never had this many friends before, she didn’t want to start over. Start from the beginning and wait to see if people excepted her. 

The question was: Was Kennedy going to give up her dream job for friendship?

“I told Tony to ask Carter for a job. I looked him in the eye and said that. And after he left, I felt sick. I’ve never had this…friends. Good friends who actual liked me for me. I don’t want to start over, Wanda. It’s so hard to start over.” Wanda pulled her into another hug. “What do I do, Wanda?” Wanda looked at the girl, who had come to the title: best friend. 

Wanda pulled away from Kennedy, making sure she was looking into her eyes. “Going somewhere new is scary, trust me. I know. I came from a place where it was just Pietro and I. We had supporters but no real friends. Then we got enhanced, and we sided with Ultron. We did everything wrong and then everything changed at once. We became Avengers, we are still getting used to it. But we train with team as a team. Now, our life is better than ever.” Kennedy stopped crying and paid close attention to Wanda’s story. “It would have been easy to stay where we were. It was…comfortable. But, a better life was waiting for us. So, I believe you should go to the research facility; it will be better life for you. It’s what you wanted, and we will still be friends.” Kennedy laughed and wiped her tears off. “Plus, this gives us an excuse to go shopping. You’re going to need more clothes; I doubt the dress code is same as here. Stark is very laid back.” The two girls laughed. 

“Wanda, there is something else I should tell you.” Wanda smiled widely. “Wait, you know? Did he tell you?”

“He didn’t have to.” Kennedy made an “o” shape with her mouth. “Kennedy, I assure you my brother will still like you if you work for different company. In fact, he may like it more. He is still not a big fan of Stark.” 

“We haven’t even talked about it. I’m not the master at this kind of thing, but I feel like we need to talk about it.” At that moment when they left the security of the woods, both girls caught sight of Pietro working with Clint on the outside training field. “Later. You know, we can talk about it later. Let’s go shopping.” Wanda began thinking of a plan on how to get them to talk out their feelings.


	9. Chapter 9

While Wanda and Kennedy were at their fourth store when Kennedy’s phone rang. “Hello?”

“Hello, is this Dr. Kennedy Garrett?” 

“Yes. Who is this?” Wanda held up two dresses. Kennedy pointed to the red one. Wanda nodded and skipped off to the dressing room. 

“This is Evelyn, with Carter Research Facility. Dr. Carter has personally requested a meeting with you at your earliest convenience.” Kennedy’s heart rate picked back up. She pushed her hair out of her face. 

“Tomorrow afternoon. 4 o’clock?” Kennedy could hear paper ruffling in the background.

“4 o’clock works. We’re all very excited for you to join us here at CRF, Dr. Garrett.” 

“Thank you so much.” Kennedy slid her phone into her back pocket before Wanda came back out in the dress. “It’s perfect, Wanda. You have to buy it.” Wanda spun around. 

“It is my favorite of all them. Who was that on the phone?” Wanda asked innocently. 

“Carter Research Facility. I have a meeting with Dr. Carter at 4 tomorrow.” Wanda’s face lit up. 

“That’s great, Kennedy. You should wear the green dress. With…” Wanda looked at the shoes on display, “these shoes.” Wanda handed Kennedy black flats that had ribbons that tied around the ankle. 

“I should.” 

“You should.”

“I will.” She grabbed the shoes in her size and bought them as Wanda took off the dress. That’s when her phone rang again. This time she knew who is was and took a deep breath before answering. “Hello, Pietro.” 

“Kennedy, will you have dinner with me tonight?” 

“Yes. Where are we going?”

“It’s surprise.” 

“Alright.”

“I will pick you up at 5, yes?” Wanda paid for her dress and walked with Kennedy out of the store as she finished her conversation.

“Yes.”

“Where is my brother taking you?”

“He said it’s a surprise.” Wanda responded with a low hum. “Let’s not talk about my boy problems anymore.” Wanda nodded, not seeing where this was headed. “Let’s talk about yours. What’s going on with you and Vision?”

“It’s complicated. I like him, I know I like him. And it would be so easy to look into his brain and find out if he liked me too, but he would recognize that I was snooping. And…ugh.” Kennedy smiled, glad that the attention was off her. 

“Wanda, Vision may be one of the smartest men alive but he’s also extremely dumb. By dumb I mean oblivious; you said yourself he is still working on his social skills. You are going to have to be up front with him, say it plainly without any hidden messages. That’s the only way you’ll get a straight answer.” Wanda nodded.

“I understand. I just…I wish there was a way to know for sure.” Kennedy put a hand on Wanda’s shoulder. 

“Me too.” 

Wand shrugged Kennedy’s hand off, smiling at her. “At least you got to make out in the stairway. I can even get him to hold my hand.” Kennedy laughed and wrapped her arm around her friends. “Well, if Vision doesn’t work out you can always talk to that guy at Jamba Juice.” Kennedy and Wanda both laughed at the memory of the young man who couldn’t find his words when Wanda asked for a drink. “You’ll ride off into the sunset with smoothies in each hand.” She joked. 

“Alright, you’ll talk to my brother and I’ll talk to Vision.” Kennedy and Wanda shook hands, like making a deal. “We should have a code, something we can text each other if we need to be rescued. In case something goes wrong.” 

“That is a great idea, that way we won’t have to deal with anything awkward.” 

“How about…yogurt?” Kennedy looked up at the frozen yogurt shop they just passed. 

“Yogurt. Alright.” 

 

Stella let Kennedy borrow a pink lace dress that was too “innocent” for Stella. She found matching shoes and Stella twisted part of her hair and pulled it back with some clips. 

“Aww, Kennedy. You look so pretty. Ah, I ship you and the Avenger so hard. You two are so cute. And when he was holding you, I almost melted.” Stella put the last clip in Kennedy’s hair before pulling out her cell phone and taking a selfie. 

A knock came at the door. Kennedy grabbed a trench coat and purse before opening the door. Her breath hitched when she saw Pietro with his messy hair now combed, a few hairs stood out, showing that he ran there. He wore a nice cardigan and long pants. 

“Ty tak krasiva.” Kennedy smiled, and she shook her head. 

“I have no idea what you said. Should I be offended?” 

“Not at all, I simply said you look beautiful.” Stella nudged Kennedy out of the door.   
“Alright, you crazy kids, have fun. You.” Stella pointed at Pietro. “I may be tiny but I can leave my shoe imprinted into your skull, so tread carefully.” Pietro nodded and held out his hand for Kennedy. Kennedy took it lightly and waved goodbye to Stella. 

“That is a very nice cardigan, Pietro.” Kennedy noted as they walked down the stairs and outside. The breeze made Kennedy tighten her jacket and making her wish she wore pants. 

“It is Steve’s; I do not own fancy clothes.” Kennedy laughed a little bit, thinking of Pietro asking Steve for clothes. 

“Neither do I, literally everything I am wearing is Stella’s.” 

“It is a pretty color.” They reached the restaurant in five minutes of walking and talking about nothing important. It seemed that both were nervous to bring up the topic at hand. 

“How did you know?” Kennedy asked when they stopped at Sway, her favorite Thai restaurant. 

“I asked Wanda. I must say, I have never had Thai food.” Kennedy pulled on Pietro’s arm, eager to enter the restaurant. 

“I hope you like spicy food then.” 

 

As they waited for their food, Kennedy didn’t want to avoid the subject any longer. 

“So, I have an interview at CRF tomorrow.” Pietro nodded, knowing this conversation would be long, he took a sip of water. 

“I am…happy for you.” Pietro forced a smile to his face. Kennedy narrowed his eyes. 

“I feel like you’re lying, but I want to say something first. I have beyond enjoyed working with you and the other Avengers. I would not give it up for anything.” She grabbed Pietro’s hand.

“And yet you are going to work for someone else. This does not make sense to me.” Kennedy thought for a second before answering. 

“Pietro, do you know why I wanted to work at Carter Research Facility?” She asked politely. 

“The disease you saw when you were little. You wanted to save the world.” He answered. 

“Yes, but, also because CRF is the best in America. They directly work with the CDC, and they have already cured many diseases. They’re the best.” She waited to see if Pietro was catching on. He wasn’t. “Um, so you want to protect the world, yes?” 

Pietro nodded, attempting to follow. He was having a hard time concentrating on her words when he was distracted by the rest of her. 

“You are at the Avengers because they are the best. You wouldn’t be satisfied if you couldn’t help people. Do you understand?” Kennedy rubbed his hand and starred into his eyes, trying to force him to understand. 

“I think so. You cannot be the best you can be with the Avengers. You want to go where you are of most help.” Kennedy nodded. “I understand. And you’re right, I’m not happy. I mean, I am happy that you are successful. I just wish you could be successful with me.” He put his other hand on top of hers, being momentarily distracted by their softness. His mind flashed back to the moment her hands grasped his neck, he cleared his throat, attempting to stay focused. 

Kennedy smiled down at her lap. “You know the CRF is only ten blocks away.” 

“I know, it’s just-” The waiter dropped of their food, which the two picked at. “I like you being around the tower, Kennedy. You make me smile.” 

“You make me smile too, Pietro. But, I want to know,” Kennedy took a bite of her Pad Thai, “what else makes you smile?” 

And for the next two hours they talked about what they liked, which led to their favorite thing about New York and how it differed from their home towns. Kennedy talked about her growing up with her mother and how happy she was when she decided to go to UT and not A&M. 

“Why?” Pietro asked. 

Kennedy laughed. “The football teams absolutely hate each other.”

“But, it has nothing to do with education.” Pietro commented. 

“In Texas football is just as important as education. Sometimes, more than. Have you ever seen a football game?” Pietro pushed his plate away. 

“Not the American version.” 

“Unacceptable. We’re going to watch football, at a stadium. You’re going to eat popcorn and drink Dr. Pepper.” Pietro had seen some of it on the television, honestly, he had no interest in the seemingly entertaining sport. But, for Kennedy, he would go in a heartbeat. 

“I look forward to it.” 

Kennedy’s outfit for her date: http://www.polyvore.com/date_night/set?id=202959379


	10. Chapter 10

Andrew Jacobson didn’t remember the night that put him in jail for ten years. He remembered coming home from work to his wife yelling at him. His daughter didn’t even say goodnight. He hated his wife, hated that she testified against him in court, hated that she took away his daughter, the only person who ever loved him. 

He had written hundreds of letters over the years to Kennedy. She had never written him back, but he had guessed that his wife never let her read the letters. Andrew had full intention to find his daughter and make sure his wife never separated them again. 

The computer got him all the information he needed. His baby girl was working for the Carter Research Facility in New York. He got his money together and booked the first flight. 

He placed his bag down on his hotel bed and went straight to the computer and search directions how to get to the CRF. 

“Daddy’s coming, Kennedy.”


	11. Chapter 11

On her first day at Carter Research Facility Kennedy decided to wear black pants and a silver blouse with silver flats. Kennedy took a cab, just so she didn’t get sweaty and mess up her hair or makeup on her first day. 

“Carter Research Facility.” Kennedy told the cab driver. 

“Oh, you’re visiting your beau?” The cabbie asked. 

“No, I work there.” The cabbie laughed. “I’m serious. I’m a doctor.” 

“Alright, if you say.” Kennedy rolled her eyes. 

She paid with her debit card and slammed the door. “Have a nice day, Miss Garrett.” The cabbie drove off. 

“I’m a Doctor, dammit.” 

 

“Dr. Garrett?” A voice beside her said. She turned to see a middle aged woman walking toward her. “I have your ID here.” Her ID definitely wasn’t great, but she could live with it. 

“Thank you.” The woman nodded. 

“Dr. Carter has asked to see you; he’ll show you to your office after your meeting. Do you remember where he is?” Kennedy nodded and headed up the stairs. 

She knocked on Dr. Carter’s door. “Come in.” A low voice answered. Kennedy opened the door to find Dr. Carter wearing a suit, his tie was crooked and his hair disheveled. “Dr. Garrett, wonderful. I like your punctuality. Take a seat, please.” Kennedy took a seat. “Have you heard of the country Sokovia?” Kennedy couldn’t help but smile, then her stomach turned, she missed Wanda and Pietro. 

“Yes, it was destroyed, wasn’t it?”

“Not all of it, after that battle with the Avengers the people have been trying to recreate their town. A disease has been traveling among the people, and is now spreading to other countries as well.” Kennedy’s heart rate increased. He was going to send her into the field, dealing first-hand with the people. This is what she wanted to do, she had been training for this moment her whole life. “I need you to go there and report back symptoms of the patients.” 

“Report? Is there not a team there taking samples? Trying to help already?” 

“No, we’re not going to do that until we even know if this thing is curable. We don’t want to waste dedicated doctors on this tiny ass country. We’re just trying to find the source. You leave in two weeks.” Kennedy bite her lip and nodded. 

“If you’re not wasting doctors, why am I going?” Kennedy asked, trying not to sound offended. 

“Dr. Garrett, you’re new. You’re not dedicated. You should be glad I’m not giving you paperwork for the next two months.” Kennedy reached for the door. 

“What am I supposed to do for the next two weeks?”

“Read up about Sokovia. I don’t care, just be here at 3:00 in the morning in two weeks. Pack for two months. You may leave.” Kennedy nodded and tried not to show her disappointment as she left. 

Kennedy found her office by herself, her first impression of Dr. Carter hadn’t gone great. He was like Stark, but worse. He was extremely egotistic, narcissistic, and overall just a giant asshole. He praised his older and faithful doctors that didn’t even glance at Kennedy. She had an urge to run over to the tower and beg Tony for her old job, but she stopped herself every time. 

“You want this job; it just takes time.” And to be honest, she kind of liked not being the center of attention. She had a lot of time to think, since she wasn’t working. Kennedy had come up with a plan, it was vague, but a plan nonetheless. She would, quietly, work her way to the top. Starting with this Sokovia mission. She would do this by herself, the two months she spent there she would help the people and find a cure to the disease. Then Carter will have no choice than to give her better cases. 

The internet didn’t have much on Sokovia, luckily, she knew two natives. 

“Hey, Wanda. Can I meet with you and Pietro sometime today?” 

“We just finished training, you can come over now and have lunch.” Kennedy smiled. 

“Thank you, I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“No need, Pietro is on his way.” Kennedy laughed. Just then hand slipped around her waist in the middle of the hallway. 

“He’s here. I’ll see you soon then.” Kennedy hung up the phone and turned herself to see Pietro. “Hello.” 

“Hello, umnyye ptitsy. How has your day been?” Kennedy kept the frown off her face. 

“Better now that you’re here. I need to talk to you and Wanda about Sokovia.” Pietro looked confused.

“Why?”

“I’ll explain, but it’ll be easier if I only explain it once. So,” Kennedy opened her arms for Pietro to carry her, “let’s go.” He smiled and kissed the side of her head before taking off. 

They arrived seconds later in the kitchen. Wanda had put out three plates, she was putting pizza down when they entered. 

“Kennedy, how has your first day been.”

“Well, I got an assignment.” 

“That’s-” Pietro’s jaw dropped. 

“No. You can’t.” Kennedy closed her eyes, she hoped he wouldn’t react like this. 

“Pietro, I just got here. I can’t refuse a job. I’ll be helping people.” 

“I don’t understand, what’s going on?” Wanda asked. 

“I’m leaving for Sokovia in two weeks. There is a disease spreading throughout the country.” Wanda lowered her head. “I just want to be prepared when I get there.” 

“Kennedy,” Wanda started slowly, “our country is not a good place. It’s an angry, and broken.”

“And dying, the people are dying, Wanda. I want to help.” 

“How big is the team?” Steve said from the hallway. “Sorry, I heard voices.” 

“The team, uh, right. Um, one.” Kennedy played with her fingers. “I’m going by myself.”   
“No, it’s not safe.” Pietro paced back and forth. “Why would he send you?”

“He said he didn’t want to waste any dedicated doctors.” 

Steve crossed his arms, “Kennedy, you don’t have to do this. He’s playing you.” Tony walked in beside Rhodes, when he saw Kennedy he waved. 

“Hey, kid, you get bored with Carter already?”

“He’s sending her to Sokovia.” 

“I heard about the disease there, if you go there you can get it. I vote you don’t go.” Tony said confidently, raising his hand. “All in favor?”

“Me.” Pietro raised his hand. So did Wanda and Steve. Rhodes put his hand up as well. 

“This isn’t a democratic choice. It’s my job, and I came here to prepare myself. But, I understand if you don’t want to help.” 

Steve stepped closer. “Kennedy, this sounds too risky.” Tony pulled out his phone and started to make a call. “If you don’t feel comfortable, don’t do it. It’s not worth it, there are so many more opportunities to help.” Kennedy sat down and put her head in her hands. 

“It’s just…this was supposed to be good for me. I thought this is what I wanted.” Pietro was behind Kennedy in less than a second. He rubbed her back. 

Wanda spoke up, “I wanted to be a painter.” Kennedy turned her head sideway to look at Wanda. “For my birthday, my parents got me these paints and a large poster board. Pietro wanted to be a chef.” 

“Wanda.” Pietro scolded. Kennedy chuckled, thinking of Pietro in a chef’s hat. 

“I’m trying to say that we planned to be something and ended up being something extremely different. And we are happy. You don’t need to be at CRF just because that was the plan.” 

“Plans change, Kennedy.” Steve said. “But you always have a job here.” Kennedy looked between Steve, Wanda, and Pietro. “Why don’t you take a few days and think about it.” Kennedy nodded. 

“Alright. I’ll think about it. I’m going to go walk home.” She squeezed Pietro’s hand. “I’ll talk to y’all later. Thank you.” Kennedy took her time walking down the stairs. 

Tony emerge with his phone clutched in his hand. “That ungrateful bastard doesn’t realize how lucky he is to have Kennie.” 

Kennedy checked the time when she got back to her apartment. 12:45, Stella was in class. She was glad, she could be by herself for a while and think. 

“Kennedy, you weren’t at work.” Kennedy stopped and spun around. “Luckily, the receptionist had your address.” Kennedy turned around as her worst fear stood before her. He was clean shaven and looked respectable enough, though Kennedy saw beneath his disguise. She put her hand into her back pocket, ready to pull her phone out. “Aren’t you going to give you daddy a hug?”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RECENTLY ON “I’M A DOCTOR, DAMMIT”: 
> 
> “Kennedy, you weren’t at work.” Kennedy stopped and spun around. “Luckily, the receptionist had your address.” Kennedy turned around as her worst fear stood before her. He was clean shaven and looked respectable enough, though Kennedy saw beneath his disguise. She put her hand into her back pocket, ready to pull her phone out. “Aren’t you going to give you daddy a hug?”

“That would be a hard no, Andrew.” Andrew lowered his arms, he expected some hostility, she was a teenager after all. “I’m going to say this once, nicely, and in plain words that you can understand.” She kept the distance between them large. “Please leave me alone. I never want to see you again.” Andrew chuckled and stepped a tiny bit closer, Kennedy kept her feet stationary, she would not retreat. 

“I don’t know what your mother said about me-”

“She told me the truth, and so did the newspapers, and the kids at school, and the police. Now, leave.” Kennedy pointed in the opposite direction. 

“Baby girl, I’m a changed man. I can be the father you deserve; the father you need.” 

“I don’t need a father. I’ve done pretty well without you.” Kennedy ran up the stairs to her apartment. 

“Kennedy Johnson, do not turn away from me.” Andrew raised his voice. 

“I will do whatever I damn please. And it’s Garrett. Dr. Kennedy Garrett.” Kennedy opened the door and slam it shut behind her. 

Andrew watched her leave and after the door slammed shut he punched the fence beside him. “This is not over.” 

 

Kennedy got out her phone and was planning to call her mother, but sided against it. She would just freak out, and Andrew got the message. He would leave her alone now…hopefully. 

She spent the rest of the day worrying. About Carter’s offer, about her father, about the Avengers. She took a long shower, using up most of the hot water, and sat in her PJ’s while watching How I Met Your Mother. She hadn’t realized she fell asleep until her phone buzzed her awake. It was Stella, at 11:00pm.

“Yeah?” Kennedy answered half awake. 

“Kennedy, you need to come outside.” She sounded scared. Kennedy first thought was, Vincent.

“Is it Vincent?”

“No, it’s…he says he’s your father.” Kennedy closed her eyes and shot herself up, not even putting on shoes. 

“I’m coming down, don’t panic.”

“Too late.” 

Kennedy raced out to find Stella in a passenger side car. Andrew sat in the driver seat. 

“Let her go, Andrew.”

“Only if you promise to peacefully sit down with me for tonight and talk to me. As father and daughter.”

“And if I don’t?” Andrew pulled out a knife and pushed it into Stella’s skin. She started to bleed. “Alright, alright. Stop. I’ll go.” Andrew nodded, putting his knife away. He unlocked the door and Stella fell out, grabbing the blood spilling out of her leg. “Stella, it’s going to be okay. I’ll be fine.” She looked Stella in the eye hoping she could read her eyes. 

“And remember what we talked about, Stella.” Andrew called out to her. 

“No cops. I remember.” Stella said quietly. 

“I’m so sorry, Stella.” Stella simply walked inside. Kennedy took her seat, not bothering with a seatbelt. “I’m guessing you stole this. You can’t possibly have a driver’s license.” 

“I’m borrowing it. I intend to return it. After we talk.” 

 

Stella pressed ten tissues to her leg. She searched through the cabinets in the apartment. She found gauze and tightened it around her leg, biting her lip from crying out. After that, she left the apartment building. Kennedy was nowhere to be seen. She hailed a cab. 

“Where to, lady?”

“The Avengers tower.” 

“I don’t think-”

“Take me there now!” She screamed. 

“Alright, calm down, lady.” The cabbie started driving. Stella pressed her hands to the wound. It was a good thing it was dark, or else the cabbie might have noticed the blood covering Stella’s hands and legs. 

She threw money at the cabbie before limping/running to the front door. They were locked. 

“Please, let me in.” Stella pounded on the door. “I need to speak to Mr. Stark. It’s important. It’s about Kennedy, please. You have to let me in. She’s in trouble. Please. OPEN THE DOOR!”

 

Stark and the other Avengers were in the living room, watching Star Trek, the newest movie. Tony had tuned out since he had always liked Star Wars better. The movie paused itself when F.R.I.D.A.Y. spoke out. 

“Mr. Stark there is an injured woman beating on the front doors, demanding to speak to you. I will replay her message.” 

“Please, let me in.” Stella’s voice rang out. 

“That’s Kennedy’s roommate.” Pietro explained, looking to Wanda. 

“I need to speak to Mr. Stark. It’s important. It’s about Kennedy, please.” Stark stood at this. “You have to let me in. She’s in trouble. Please. OPEN THE DOOR!” 

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., open the damn door.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

The Avengers all stood and raced down to the first floor, where they found a bloodied woman stumbling around. 

“Mr. Stark, you have to do something.”

Sam was the one to grab Stella by the arms and guiding her to a seat. 

“Calm down.” Stella took a shaky breath. “What happened?”

“I didn’t know any better. Kennedy never said anything about having a father. I thought he just wanted to ask about her work.” Wanda put a hand to her mouth, with the other and clutched Pietro’s shirt. “But then he held a knife to my throat and told me to call Kennedy.” As she told the rest of the story she was surprised that the Avengers were exceedingly calm, except Pietro who was pacing back and forth. “He said don’t tell the cops. You’re not the cops, but, what if he knows that I told? Will he hurt her?” Stella started crying. 

“No, no. He won’t hurt her; we’re going to find her. Okay?” Sam soothed. 

“Do you have idea where he would take her?” Stella shook her head. “F.R.I.D.A.Y, track Kennedy’s cell phone. Where is she?”

“I’ve sent the coordinates to your phone.” F.R.I.D.A.Y. answered. Tony nodded, he showed Pietro where she was being held. 

“Pietro, you go ahead. Make sure her father doesn’t see you. Vision, Natasha, and Steve. Come with me. We’ll take the car. The rest of you contact her mother and stay with her.” Tony pointed to Stella. The team nodded and started their specific jobs. 

Stella watched them work. When Sam left his spot beside Stella, Wanda sat down. 

“You know,” Stella sniffled, “if I wasn’t freaking out. I would think this was awesome.” Wanda grabbed Stella’s hand, finding that it was bloody she pulled the girl up. 

“Let’s get you cleaned up.” 

Stella gasped, “you have the same accent as Kennedy’s boy.” Wanda smiled. 

“He’s my brother.” Stella squealed. 

“They are so cute.”

“Right?” Wanda agreed. “How did you meet Kennedy?”

“My last roommate was bat-shit crazy, and I wanted more space. So, I sent out an ad on Craigslist for a roommate. Kennedy is literally the opposite of my last roommate, plus, she was super smart and offered to help me with my science classes. And, I feel like I needed to help her. She didn’t know anything about fashion.” Wanda giggled as she washed the blood away from Stella’s hands. “How did you meet her?”

“We came home from a mission and she was asleep on the couch. She was waiting for Stark, to talk about the equation they just finished working on.” Stella nodded. 

“I remember that, I thought she hooked up with an Avenger.” 

 

Pietro arrived at a poorly lit park. He could make out two figures, that he assumed were Kennedy and her father. He raced closer, making sure he stayed hidden. 

“…I never wanted to leave you.” Andrew spoke. 

“You didn’t have to. You made the choice.” 

“Your mother is the one who testified against me.” 

“That’s not what I meant. You made the choice to drink that night until you were flat out wasted. You made the choice to pick up the keys and drive the car. You made the choice to kill that family.” It broke Pietro’s heart to hear Kennedy’s voice crack. Such a powerful woman, brought down to tears by one man’s past actions. “You may not remember it, I’d actually be surprised if you did, but I do. I saw the mother’s sister collapse to the ground after the doctor told her her sister was dead. I heard the screams the father’s parents made, their curses on you. I looked into their eyes and they looked back at me with pure hatred. Hatred for someone they had just met, because I was the daughter of a murderer.” 

“It was a mistake. I cannot change the-” Andrew said calmly. 

“Do you have no remorse? The little boy, Kevin, he was nine years old. His favorite animal was the monkey; he had just gotten an A on his math test. That’s why they were driving. His parents promised that they would take him to his favorite restaurant if he made an A. They were five minutes away from their home when you plowed into them, and you survived. They all died, and you…you lived.” 

“Kenn-”

“Mom and I wanted to go to the funeral, but they kicked us out. We were out-casted, because you made a choice.” 

“Kennedy, I will not apologize for the past. We cannot fix it. Now,” Andrew pulled out his knife, “this was not how tonight was supposed to go. Why do you have to be so difficult?” Suddenly, Andrew found himself with no knife in his hand. “What the-” Next, Andrew was on the ground. Pietro stood by Kennedy. “You’re…you’re one of those…freaks. Kennedy, come here.” Andrew opened his hand for Kennedy to take. Kennedy simply stood next to Pietro.

“He’s not a freak.” 

“I’m her boyfriend.” Pietro grabbed Kennedy’s hand. “And you’re going to jail.” 

“I did nothing.” 

“You stabbed my roommate, you kidnapped me, you stole a car, you drove a car without a driver’s license.” Andrew looked at Kennedy confused. 

“I don’t remember any of that.” Kennedy stepped forward, her fist risen. Pietro held her back. 

“You don’t get to use that excuse twice.” Andrew smiled before he was pulled down to the ground by Natasha. 

“I just wanted to see my daughter, I have a bad memory. I didn’t mean to do anything wrong.” He was talking to Natasha, who cracked her fist against his nose. “OW, you broke my nose.” 

“I don’t remember that.” Natasha repeated back to him. Tony and Steve who grabbed Andrew and threw him in the back of the car. 

“And by the way.” Kennedy said to Andrew. “It was my idea for mom to testify against you.”


	13. Chapter 13

This short chapter is going back a bit. This is happening while Kennedy is going through her first day at CRF. 

 

Pietro woke up and grabbed an armful of food, placing it all on the table. 

“Pietro,” Wanda scolded, “ever think about using a plate?” Pietro shrugged. “You’re disgusting.” 

“I’m a growing boy, Wanda. I need to eat.” 

“You’ve grown enough.” Wanda tried to grab an apple, Pietro slapped her hand away. “You’re impossible.” 

Steve, Natasha, and Tony walked in together. 

“Tony, what are you going to do now that Kennedy’s gone?”

“I don’t know, whatever I want.” Natasha put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m Tony Stark.” He said with hostility, before storming out like a child.

Natasha leaned over to Steve, “I think he needs a hug.” 

“Pietro,” Steve got his attention as he finished his last piece of his breakfast, “you get the day off.” Pietro smirked at his sister, who rolled her eyes. 

“Where are you going, Steve?” Natasha asked. 

“Meeting with Fury. I don’t know what it’s about.” Steve walked out. Natasha glared her eyes. 

“What is it?” Pietro asked, noticing her glare. 

“I don’t like it when people keep the truth from me.” Natasha strolled out as well, going to find out what Steve was up to. 

This left Wanda and Pietro alone in the kitchen. “Pietro, don’t go stalk Kennedy.” 

“It’s not stalking if she’s girlfriend.” Wanda shot up and ran to his side. 

“Chto? Pochemu ty mne ne skazal? Pochemu Kennedy ne skazal mne? Proizoshlo li eto proshloy noch'yu? Yesli vy zaputalis' eto vverkh ya sobirayus' ubit' tebya.” Wanda smacked his head. Pietro simply laughed. 

“I do not want to mess this up.”

“Still, you cannot go visit her. It’s her first day. She needs to get settled and make friends on her own. She’s nervous.” Pietro narrowed his eyes. 

“Nervous? She was telling me she was excited. This is her dream job.”

“That doesn’t mean she isn’t nervous. Just, don’t visit her, wait until she calls. Promise me. She needs concentration.” Pietro nodded. “Promise.” 

Pietro held up his pinkie finger. “Promise.” 

 

Chto? Pochemu ty mne ne skazal? Pochemu Kennedy ne skazal mne? Proizoshlo li eto proshloy noch'yu? Yesli vy zaputalis' eto vverkh ya sobirayus' ubit' tebya - What? Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't Kennedy tell me? Did this happen last night? If you mess this up I’m going to kill you.


	14. Chapter 14

Stella pulled Kennedy into a tight hug when she arrived. “God, Kennedy, I thought that asshole was going to kill you.” Kennedy laughed weakly into her shoulder. “But, hey, we get to stay with the Avengers! This is, like, a hotel.” Stella lowered her voice. “I’m hoping to watch them work out.” Kennedy laughed. 

“I’m sorry this happened to you.” Kennedy said, looking down at her newly wrapped leg. 

“Nah, it’s fine. It’ll make me look badass.” 

“Ladies,” Steve walked over. Stella looked over to Kennedy and bit her lip and winked, “I’ll show you to your room.” 

“Steve, you take Stella up. I’ll be there in a second.” Steve nodded and offered his arm to Stella as she limped with him towards the elevator. Kennedy walked up to were Natasha was standing. “Thank you, Natasha.” 

“No need to thank me, it was an honor tackling a scumbag. And, I “accidently” hit his head on the rim of the car as he got in.” Kennedy smiled and instinctively put her hands to her back pockets, when she realized she had been in her pajamas the entire time. “You should get some sleep, Kennedy.” Natasha rubbed the side of her arm before leaving for the elevator. Now the only people left in the lobby were Pietro and Kennedy. 

“So…I want to say thank you but I feel like that’s not enough.” Kennedy walked toward Pietro who had his arms crossed, leaning against a wall. “I could make you a cake but I’m not promising it to be edible.” Pietro chuckled and pushed himself from the wall. He took a few steps towards Kennedy. “Um, when I was in Paris it got really cold and I tried to knit myself a scarf. I bet I could do it again, it’d take me a while, and it’s nowhere near winter-” Pietro lowered his head and put a soft kiss against Kennedy’s lips. “You’re right, scarf’s a bad idea. How about a puppy, I’m a good judge of cute puppies?” Pietro kissed her again, trying to get his message across. “You may look like a large dog kind of guy, but I feel like-”

“Kennedy,” Pietro said softly. “I don’t need anything but you.” He pressed his lips to her cheek, he felt her smile as he did. When he pulled his head back he laughed at Kennedy’s expression. Her mouth was gapped and the corners of her mouth were turned up. She looked between his eyes and shook her head. “What?” He asked. 

“I…have no idea how to respond to that. If this was a movie, the screen would cut to the next scene after you said that, but this isn’t a movie and I have no idea what to say.” Pietro raised his hands to her cheeks and caressed them softly. Kennedy was so tired, she swayed into his touch and closed her eyes. 

“You don’t have to say anything, umnyye ptitsy.” Kennedy smiled up at her boyfriend before lightly pushing him away. She held onto his hand and pulled him toward the stairwell. In a flash he picked her up, she squealed as her hair blew into her face. “You don’t need to walk up those stairs anymore.”

“That’s my main work out, Pietro. I’m going to get fat.” Pietro kissed her forehead. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll think of another activity to keep you fit.” 

 

Pietro placed Kennedy in a guest bed. The room was bare, the complete opposite of her regular room. Pietro was already planning to gather up all her belongings and bring them back here. He would much rather have her in a room closer to his, but that could be decided later. He tucked her in and Kennedy grabbed the pillow and hugged it. She held onto Pietro’s hand. She opened her eyes the tiniest bit, smiling up at Pietro. Kennedy wanted to open her mouth and tell him to stay, but she just couldn’t move. Her hand fell down on the bed and her eyes closed. “Goodnight, umnyye ptitsy.” 

 

Stella woke up with her hand on a person’s stomach. Her head was pounding, her throat was sore, and her cheeks were wet. She looked up to find Steve holding her to his chest. His hand was pushing her hair away from her face. 

“Stella, wake up.” He said quietly. She spun around to face him. “You were screaming.” 

“I’m sorry.” Stella thought through her nightmare. Andrew was holding a knife to her and plunged the knife into her leg. “He…he stabbed me. That asshole actually stabbed me.” 

“You’re safe now. He’s not going to hurt you or Kennedy again. I’m sorry he had the opportunity to in the first place.” Stella looked out her window, the sun was shining bright. 

“Shit. I have class.” Stella threw back her covers and jumped out of the bed. She immediately crumbled to the ground. Steve caught her before she hit her head. 

“Take it easy. I’ll notify your school.” Steve picked her up and placed her back in the bed. “Do you need anything?” Stella looked confused as she placed her hands around her leg, tracing the bandage. 

“A glass of water, please?” Steve nodded and left the door slightly ajar in case she called for him again. He then realized he had never introduced himself. He was spending too much time with Tony, just assuming everyone knew who he was. 

When he came back Stella was on the floor again, attempting to stand back up. Steve placed the water down and knelt down next to her. 

“You don’t stay still, do you?” With Steve’s help she stood up. 

“Thank you for your help, but I have seven classes. That’s 21 hours. I cannot afford to miss a day; I’ll lose my scholarship. I can get the hang of this, by the time I get down to the lobby I’ll be good as new.” Steve had no choice but to walk with Stella past the kitchen where some other Avengers were sitting down. 

“Yeah, I wouldn’t suggest walking. You could reopen the wound.” Natasha offered. 

“I take you suggestion into consideration, thank you.” She tried to say without a bitchy tone. “Alright, Cap, I think I’m good.” Stella removed her arms from Steve’s and used the wall to walk to the elevator. 

“Don’t you want to wait for Kennedy?” Stella looked back at the Avengers. She nodded, and started to walk back. 

“The room is spinning.” Stella stumbled, Steve ran to catch her. 

“Her wound reopened. I’m taking her to Dr. Cho.” Steve picked her up, and raced her upstairs one level to Dr. Cho’s office. 

“What happened?” The doctor placed her hands on the, now, bloodied bandage. 

“She wouldn’t stop walking.” 

“You’re Captain America, you couldn’t just…grab her?” Steve watched as Stella grabbed the bed sheet in pain as Cho took her bandage off. “Stella,” Dr. Cho made sure Stella was looking at her in the eye before continuing. “If you walk before I say so I’ll make sure you stay in this very bed for a month with no company expect me.” Stella frowned and nodded. “Good. Now, this is going to sting a bit.” It did not sting, it hurt…like hell. Steve let Stella squeeze his hand, and he was surprised the small girl had such a strong grip. 

After Dr. Cho finished re-fixing Stella’s leg she shut off the lights and let her sleep. 

“Thank you, Dr. Cho.”

“When Kennedy wakes up, please send her to me. I fear she might have some psychological trauma.” Steve bite the inside of his cheek. 

“Is she going to be alright?”

“I hope so. But, from what she told me her father left a hole in her that hasn’t healed.” Steve ran his fingers through his hair, he needed to calm down, or else he was going to break some medical equipment. He made the wise decision to go train, get his anger out that way. 

 

Pietro woke up, stretching his arm out to reach out Kennedy, only to realize that he was in his own bed, alone. He sighed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He sat up and pulled on a shirt and shorts before leaving his room barefooted. 

He flashed himself in front of Kennedy’s room. The door was slightly open, like he left it, in case she needed to call for someone. He nudged the door with his foot, pushing it open slowly. Pietro’s heart sped up when there was no one in the bed. He looked into the small bathroom attached to the room, no Kennedy there either. 

“Umnyye ptitsy? Kennedy?” 

When no answer came Pietro ran the entire floor in a few seconds. He could not find her. He slid to a stop when he found Wanda walking with Vision to the training room. 

“Have you seen Kennedy?” He asked quickly. Vision looked around the room. 

“She is in the training yard.” Vision said simply. Pietro wanted to ask how he knew, but decided to put the question in the back of his mind for later. Right now, he wanted to find Kennedy. 

She was laying down in the middle of the field. Some SHIELD agents were running in a blob. Pietro laid down beside her, he lightly played with her fingers. 

“When did you wake up?” Pietro asked. 

“Uh…when the sun was…there.” She pointed lower, slightly behind the forest. 

“You could have woken me.” She turned her head, and brought her hand up to caress his face. 

“I wanted to, but you looked so peaceful.” She turned her head back to the sky. “And I know you have trouble sleeping.”

“How?”

“Would you believe I can read your mind?”

“No.” He said smiling. 

“I read your diary.”

“I don’t own diary.” 

Kennedy was trying to make up a new excuse when Pietro rolled his eyes. “Wanda told you.” 

“Yeah.” Kennedy grabbed her hand. “Don’t be mad. I wouldn’t have woken you up anyway. If anyone knows how valuable sleep is, it’s me. Writing a dissertation is like having three jobs and two babies. You never sleep.” Pietro laughed at her exaggeration, until he looked over and saw that she wasn’t laughed. He leaned over and kissed her head. 

“You are amazing woman, Kennedy.” He leaned in to kiss her, but was stopped by water spraying both of their faces. 

“No PDA on the field.” Natasha and Steve stood above them, smiling. 

“Kennedy, Dr. Cho needs you in her lab.” Pietro stood up then helped Kennedy. “Now.” 

“How’s Stella?”

“She’s with Cho. She tried to walk out and reopened her wound.” Kennedy turned to Pietro. 

“Take me to her.” Pietro picked her up and in the wake of blue dust they were gone. 

“I think they’re cute.” Natasha put her hands on her hips. “She’s good for him.”

“If she agrees to go to Sokovia, he’s going to follow her.” Steve observed. 

“If she agrees to go to Sokovia, I’m going to follow her. She’s going to die before she gets the chance to figure out what the disease is. Whether Fury likes it or not, she’s wedged her way onto this team. We can’t abandon her.” 

Steve nodded, him and Natasha turned and started to make their way back to the tower.


	15. Chapter 15

Kennedy sat in a dark room with Dr. Cho, her legs crossed by her chest. Her hair made a curtain around her face, hiding the tears swelling up in her eyes. 

“Kennedy, I know it doesn’t feel like it but talking about it will make it better.” 

Kennedy pushed her hair back, not meeting the doctor’s eyes. “Where do I start?”

“Anywhere you like.”

 

After Kennedy poured out her memories to Dr. Cho she was left alone in the office. Her legs shook, once she told one remembrance she couldn’t stop. She could hear the screams that were her lullaby, she could feel the shook the apartment made when her father slammed the door shut, and she could feel the shame in her chest. Everyone knew her last name; they knew her as the daughter of a murderer. 

Dr. Cho held her report closely to her chest when she left her office. Pietro was pacing back and forth in the hallway. 

“How is she?” He asked. 

“I…I can’t say. Don’t push her for answers, okay? I…I’m so sorry.” She said the last part to herself. Dr. Cho excused herself as she walked through the kitchen to the elevator. 

She took a cab over to Stark Industries and informed the secretary that she needed to see Ms. Potts, urgently. 

“Dr. Cho-”

“I did something bad.”

“What?”

“Fury asked me to analyze Dr. Garrett, to see if she qualified for the Avengers Initiative.” Pepper closed her eyes. 

“He has no authority-”

“I know, and I don’t know why I did it. Actually, I know. Because he asked me too, and I respect him. He used to be my boss, and I thought he had good intentions, so I did it. And I feel like a…horrible person. This girl, this…child just met me and she told me about her past. I thought I could handle it, I’ve done some psych councils before, but nothing like this.” Dr. Cho’s eyes filled with tears. “Nothing like this.” 

Pepper stood up from her desk and put her hands comfortably around Dr. Cho’s. “What was Fury’s intention through this psych evaluation?”

“I think it was to gather more information on her. After the events of last night, Fury got antsy. He wanted to know everything.” She wiped tears from her cheeks. “I’m sorry.” 

“You shouldn’t be saying that to me. Go back and explain this to Kennedy.” Dr. Cho nodded and left. 

Pepper picked up her cell phone and put it to her ear as she sat back down in her chair. “Fury, let me get one thing clear. You do not get to emotionally manipulate a child because you are feeling left out. You do not get to ask a doctor to perform an illegal psych council because you’re antsy. If you had just waited a little while longer I would have included you in the discussion on her becoming an Avengers but your recent actions have proven that you, once again, cannot be trusted. Stay away from Kennedy Garrett.” Pepper slammed the phone down and went back to typing away on her computer. 

 

Kennedy had wiped away her tears before Pietro entered, but what he saw made his heart break still. Her nose was red, eyes were puffy, her body physically shaking. Pietro wanted to hold her and shield her from the pains of her past, but he didn’t want to crowd her either. So, he put a hand on her knee. He was relieved when she put her hand on top of his. 

If the situation was reversed Pietro would never talk to anyone about his feelings, especially to someone he was close to. And yet, this urge to ask her what was wrong was so strong he had to bite his tongue to keep it from slipping out. 

He sat next to her on the black couch and moved his other hand to rub her back. She leaned down, collapsing into his chest. She cried silently as Pietro circled his arms around her, rubbing her back. She closed her eyes and took a fistful of his shirt. 

“Dr. Garrett?” F.R.I.D.A.Y. voice rang out through the office. Kennedy sat up, not making eye contact with Pietro. 

“Yes?” Her voice was light and shaky. 

“Your mother is in the kitchen with the Avengers.” Kennedy climbed off of Pietro. 

“Wait.” Pietro said, standing up with her. He wiped tears off from her cheek. “You are going to be alright.” Kennedy gripped his wrist and pulled him close, kissing him briefly before grabbing his hand and guiding him out of the office. 

 

Kennedy threw her arms around her mother. 

“Kennie, I’m so sorry.” The Avengers watched Janet hug her daughter. The two looked similar, Janet’s hair was shorter, in a bob cut, but the same color as Kennedy’s. 

“He’s gone.”

“I should have done something sooner, then that family would still be alive.” 

“No, this was not your fault. It was his, and only his. He’s never going to leave that prison again. We’re safe.” Kennedy hugged her mother again. 

 

Pietro sat with Wanda on the couch while Kennedy spoke to her mother. He watched Kennedy, she was nervous at first, her feet moving back and forth. After a while she stayed stationary, using her hands to talk, becoming more comfortable. Her tears from earlier had dried away and were replaced by a smile and an occasional laugh. 

“You’re starring.” Wanda noticed, lightly hitting his ribs with her elbow. 

“I know.” He looked down at his lap, playing with his fingers. “Do you think she’ll quit her job?” Wanda looked at Kennedy, who was pulling her mother over to Steve. 

“I do not know. Do not push her, Pietro.”

“I won’t it’s just…” He let out a breath and ran his hands through his hair, gripping it tightly. “I don’t want her to get hurt, and it seems every time she leaves this tower she gets hurt. So, logically, she should never leave the tower, yes?”

“No.” Pietro put his head in his hands. He knew that was stupid, but it didn’t help his heart to know that there were dangers out beyond the tower that he couldn’t protect her from, and even the ones he could, he hasn’t. He wasn’t there when she was kidnapped by her father, or when she was talking down Stella’s crazy ex-boyfriend. He just wanted to keep her here, where he could stay with her all the time, and know that she was safe. Because when she wasn’t around his stomach churned, like he was sick, and he couldn’t help but think that something was wrong. The worst part was Pietro knew he couldn’t act on these feelings. Kennedy didn’t want a life in the tower, she wanted to be out, where people were dying so she could help them, and that worried Pietro most of all. What would he do if she got sick? He had just convinced her that he like her, he didn’t want to lose her. So, he started thinking of a plan to keep her from going to Sokovia. 

Sadly, Wanda had picked up on all these thought and pulled he hands away from his head. 

“You listen here, Pietro, I don’t want her going to Sokovia just as much as you do. But if you interfere with her decisions, with her work, she will not forgive you. So, we’re going to be adults and talk about this.”

“I don’t like being adult.” Wanda sat back, she thought of all that had happened in the past couple of months. How much they had gone through, how much they had changed. From the riots to the experiments; from Ultron to the Avengers. The battles…

“Me neither.”


	16. Chapter 16

Na samom dele ya poluchayu povesit' Sokovian. – Actually, I’m getting the hang of Sokovian.

Ya bistro uchus’ – I learn fast. 

 

Exactly one week and six days later Kennedy sat on her now naked bed. She had two duffle bags at her feet as she zipped them up. She thought back to her conversation with the Avengers the night before. 

 

“I’m going to Sokovia.” Kennedy closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have the see the look in their eyes. The look of disappointment or concern. 

“I will go with you.” Kennedy opened her eyes. She couldn’t say no, and she didn’t really want to. “You’ll need someone to translate.” Kennedy smiled and thought carefully before speaking.

“Na samom dele ya poluchayu povesit' Sokovian.” Kennedy spoke cleanly in their language. “Ya bistro uchus’.” Wanda laughed so hard she had to put a hand over her mouth to quiet herself. 

“Where did you learn Sokovian?” Steve asked. 

“Rosetta Stone.”

“I’m still going.” Pietro said stubbornly.

“I won’t stop you, Pietro. But, I did some research and I talked with a team already there…it’s bad. It’s…scary bad. The people are blaming the Avengers for what happened to them, you’re faces are plastered everywhere and used for targeting practice. They…they hate y’all.” 

“What time does plane leave?” Pietro asked with his arms crossed.

“9.”

“Well, since speedy’s going, witchy is going to follow.” Tony said from his spot at the bar. “And since Witchy’s going, Vision is going to follow. And Vision is 1/3 my child so I have to go. The list could go on, so I’ll cut to the chase. We’ll take the quin jet. It’ll be faster, and more comfortable, with better company.” 

“Guess we’re going back to going back to Sokovia.” Natasha said. 

 

“Kennedy, if you die, so help me I will call you back with a ouiji board and yell at you…very loudly.” Stella said, trying to be stern. In honesty, she would truly miss Kennedy. After hugging her roommate for the last time she closed the door, leaving Kennedy out in the street. 

“Umnyye ptitsy, there is no way for me to talk you out of this, is there?” Pietro sighed, leaning on the gate outside her apartment. “What if I told you I have rare disease and you could fix me?” He asked with his hands shoved deep in his jeans. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I am loving this protectiveness, I think it’s sweet. But, I…I need to do this.” Kennedy ran her hands up and down Pietro’s arms. “You’re a superhero, Pietro, don’t you have this…this urge to save people when they need help?”

“Yes, but it’s hard when people won’t let themselves be saved.” Pietro rested his forehead on hers. His voice lowered, “let me save you, Kennedy.” 

Kennedy grabbed his face with her hands and brought his face down for a kiss. She smiled up and him and waited for him to open his eyes before speaking. “No.”

“I have feeling that this will not be okay.”

“The Avengers go out all the time, they always know that it may never be okay. What makes this any different?” Pietro huffed. 

“Because you are not enhanced. You have no super strength, or can turn into green man. You cannot run fast as bullet, and you cannot control things with your mind.” Kennedy nodded along with him. 

“Yeah, but I am…really smart.” 

“Umnyye ptitsy, how will that help you when gun is at your head?” 

“That’s why you’ll be there, to protect me while I save the sick people.” She held out her hand, and waited patiently for him to grab it. 

Once he did they walked down the sidewalk, each carrying a duffle bag in the other hand. 

“You know,” Kennedy spoke up, “you won’t always be there to protect me.”

“You wait and see. I will always protect you, Umnyye ptitsy.” 

 

THE END

Thank you so much for reading “I’m a Doctor, Dammit”. I may create a sequel later if the inspiration comes to me. If you have any ideas please send them my way, I would love to hear them. Love y’all


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